


Asphodel *HIATUS*

by thestormconflict



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Chrom!Inigo, Corrin is smarter than you thought, Denial, F/M, Family Reunions, Father-Son Relationship, Grief/Mourning, Hoshido, Implied Sexual Content, Kidnapping, Mel's plan, Pink-Haired Inigo, Prince Inigo, Reunions, Robin being a shit, city wide lockdowns, dancer!inigo, hair dying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-08-21 19:56:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8258578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestormconflict/pseuds/thestormconflict
Summary: It had been nearly twelve years since the day that Inigo, the Prince of Ylisse, had gone missing. The only hint they had come across was a flower by the name of asphodel.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the revamped version of Asphodel. This is what used to be the Prologue, mostly cause it took place before Inigo turned sixteen.
> 
> *Asphodel means regret and sorrow beyond death

_“It amazes me that someone so shy could be such an amazing performer. Your dances are really quite wonderful. I don’t know how you can’t see it,” Chrom said, offering her a gentle smile. They had come a long way since the battle against the Mad King Gangreal. After that battle he began to attempt at talking to her which was harder than he had initially thought it would be. She had hidden from him for the first week or two, but now they were able to talk freely._

_“Lord Basilio told me the same thing… Albeit with different words. Something about charming the butt off a butterfly,” she said, returning his smile which had to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen._

_“Ha! That sounds just like him, all right. You and he go back a long way, right? How did you first meet?”_

_She looked away from him with a sullen look on her face, “…I owe him my honor and my freedom. Once when I was with a traveling theatre group, I caught the eye of a corrupt noble. He would have stolen me and forced into a marriage if not for Khan Basilio.”_

* * *

 

Chrom had never even thought twice about the words that Olivia had spoken to him in secret that day. After all it was that day that he realized how much he loved her and had been so focused on working up the courage to propose to her. She was the most beautiful and caring woman he had ever met. Olivia was the woman that brought joy to his life in the shape of a five-year-old boy and an eight-year old girl. His two children, Inigo and Lucina.

Lucina was his first born child and tended to follow the exalt as if she was his shadow, that is when she wasn’t forced to leave his side. She was a very talented with the sword and a natural born leader. If it wasn’t for the fact that the position of Exalt and king commonly went to the heir she would inherit Chrom’s title. Inigo had just started his training and lessons the year before on his birthday which was a few months off. He had been doing well thus far, but it was still too early to tell how talented he was in it. Inigo was far more talented in the field of dance and had even asked Olivia for a ‘dancing costume’ like hers.

It was when Inigo turned five and started going through his ‘why’ faze that he asked why he hadn’t met his grandparents. That led to Olivia saying that she wasn’t from Ylisse and couldn’t possibly ask ‘Grandpa’ Basilio to travel all that way for a visit. That of course led to Inigo asking where his beloved mother was from. A few months later and now they were heading to Regna Ferox because Inigo wanted to visit the ‘white wonderland’ his mother was from.

Inigo was still small for his age so he sat comfortably on top of Chrom’s broad shoulders. Inigo was currently hiding behind his father’s cobalt hair as he was still terribly shy. Olivia had even told Chrom that Inigo was shyer than she had ever been. If Chrom had known what he knew now, then he would have hidden his son away until they arrived in Regna Ferox. He would have taken Frederick’s offer to take the royal carriage just so that none would have taken notice of his precious son. Chrom had instead agreed to taking the ten royal guards, including Frederick the Wary himself (who Inigo and Lucina both loved). Robin had gotten a good laugh out of the time that his children referred to Frederick as their second dad.

Despite living in the castle for all of his life, Inigo was still not used to being around that many guards. In the castle, there were usually two or three guards patrolling each separate area. In the recent years, they had no real reason to have more than three in any one area. That day was an exception as the entire royal family was leaving Ylisse so they needed protection in case of extremists from the old Plegia. The remnants of Grimleal still hated the royal family of Ylisse and could strike at any given moment.

Chrom could feel Inigo shifting and knew that the falling snowflakes had piqued Inigo’s interest. He understood why something like snow would be so interesting to his son as he had never left the capitol city before that day. Ylisstol almost never saw snow, and when it did it was more often than not because of some mage practicing a new spell.

“Daddy, it’s c-cold and white, but it’s so pretty!” Inigo said in an awestruck tone, practically breathing the words out as he spoke. His grip on his father’s hair finally loosened. Chrom could already picture his son’s deep blue eyes practically gleaming with curiosity of the world around him.

“It is called snow, Inigo,” Lucina piped in from beside Chrom, where she was holding Olivia’s hand, “Daddy, did you know it’s what rain turns into when it gets reeeeeeeeally cold?” Lucina was jumping and up and down and pulling Olivia down with her in the process.

“Calm down, sweetheart,” Olivia said, pulling Lucina’s attention away from her father, “Did Lady Maribelle teach you that? Or was it Lady Miriel?”

Maribelle and Miriel were the two that Chrom trusted the most with his children’s education. Every now and then Donnel would come and they would beg him to tell them stories. Donnel would teach the prince and princess all about farm life in those visits. They loved these stories since it was practically a whole different world than their castle life.

“Nuh-uh, Mister Ricken told me all about it,” Lucina said with the biggest grin he had ever seen on her. Chrom couldn’t do anything to push down the bubble of laughter that escaped him at his oldest’s competitiveness.

Lucina reminded Chrom so much of how he was when Lissa had been born. He had felt like his baby sister had stolen the spotlight from him, which didn’t last for long as his parents died not long after she was born. Lucina was just starting to get over the worst of her jealousy as she realized he was here to stay. That did little to lessen her determination to prove she was the better child. He was ready for her to move past this phase and to finally let her little brother in. Chrom could see how much Inigo idolized his older sister, almost as much as he idolized his mother.

“It… it’s so pretty,” Chrom could feel Inigo reaching forward to touch the snow,”D-Daddy, what happened to the ‘snow’?” Chrom could only guess that when he reached out, he touched the snow and it melted in his hand.

Olivia immediately jumped to the rescue as they knew what was about to happen, “You cannot touch it or it will melt.”

The guards began to laugh softly at the antics of the royal family and the little prince’s confusion.

Inigo had always had a natural spotlight around him ever since he was born as he was the male heir to the Ylissean throne and very much Olivia’s child. Chrom had even seen his son attempting his mother’s dances, which she soon found out about and began teaching him. If Inigo had not been the crown prince, he probably would have grown up to be a famous dancer. If Inigo ever opened about his dancing, Chrom would not let a single person tell him he could not dance. Chrom was more likely to tell his how talented he was and that he should dance all he wanted. If anyone said otherwise, they could take that up with Chrom.

“D-Did it die?” Inigo asked with a waver in his voice and Chrom could tell the waterworks were about to begin. He lifted the little princes off of his shoulders and held him in his arms. He could see the tears welling up in his eyes and where the snow had gathered in his soft pink hair that he got from his mother.

“No, no, of course not,” Olivia said quickly, taking Inigo from Chrom’s arms, “the snowflake just had… it had to go bye-bye, but look! All of its friends are still around so that they can meet you.”

He sniffled as he looked around at the falling snowflakes. The prince started to wipe the tears from his eyes before he looked up at his mother, “R-really? It just had to go bye-bye?”

Chrom could see Lucina opening her mouth, probably to say that snow can’t talk or something of the like. He grabbed her hand and gave her hand a squeeze. She stopped to look up at her father with a grin.

“Of course, would I ever lie to you, my darling boy?” Olivia reassured him before she put the little prince down to walk on his own.

* * *

 

“Oh, look at him, he looks just like you, Olivia, did when she first came here!” a brown-haired dancer wearing blue said while looking at the small boy. Inigo was desperately holding onto his mother’s skirts. He looked up at Olivia with pleading eyes as the women surrounded him. Chrom had decided to wait a few minutes before swooping in to ‘rescue’ Inigo from the women who were fawning over because he was just ‘too precious’.

“Oh, she is right! Just look at that lovely hair,” a dancer that appeared to be closer in age to Olivia said, reaching out to touch his fluffy, pink hair. He tugged on Olivia’s skirts, trying to get her attention.

“Mama,” he pleaded, sounding like he was on the verge of tears from all of the attention. Olivia apparently noticed this since she gathered the terrified five-year-old up in her arms. He hid his face in her chest as if that alone would hide him. Olivia held him close to her as she ran a soothing hand down his back, making him calm down.

“Is he not just the cutest thing?” another woman cooed, obviously trying to hold herself from pinching at his cheeks or anything of the like.

Inigo finally stopped hiding his face and began to look around the large room, searching for something, or, more specifically, someone. It was at that moment that Chrom decided he had endured enough from the hands of the women. He walked in between the woman still cooing over his son and towards the cowering boy. The moment Inigo saw him he practically jumped into his arms, away from the women, “I think he has had enough attention for the day.”

Shortly after that, Olivia and his ‘Uncle’ Lon’qu (who was also in charge of Inigo and Lucina’s training) introduced Inigo to his ‘grandpa; Basilio. Basilio had told them how much Inigo looked like Olivia and Chrom. He even told them that if they ever wanted to get rid of his ‘son’, which he affectionately called Lon’qu, they could always give him a call. At that point Inigo hid behind his ‘uncle’, making Basilio let out a loud, roaring laugh at how much like his ‘daughter’ Inigo was. Lucina and Basilio hit it off immediately.

It was that night that their lives all changed, it was after all of the festivities. There had been traditional Feroxian food, fighting competition, and dances. Khan Basilio had asked Olivia and Lon’qu to perform in the festivities which they gladly agreed to. They were halfway through the festivities when he noticed Inigo starting to doze off. It was still a good amount of time before Lucina would have to head off to bed. Luckily about that time the competitions ended so he had Lon’qu watch Lucina for him as he and Frederick brought Inigo to his and Lucina’s bedroom for the weekend.

“I am not even that sleepy,” Inigo whined as Chrom carried him through the Feroxian halls. He was holding onto Chrom’s shirt and trying his hardest to stay awake.

“I think you are since someone did not have his nap today,” Inigo was still young enough to need those naps. With all the traveling they had done that day, he just did not have the time to let his son take a nap, though they were trying to wane him off of them.

“I do not need a nap! I am a big boy now!” Inigo declared, still whining as his father opened the door to his bedroom.

“Well if you are such a big boy, I guess you do not need Mister Bear again,” Chrom teased as he grabbed night clothes for his son to change into.

“No! Don’t take Mister Bear!” Inigo quickly grabbed the small push bear that was made just for him. It was light brown with the brand of the exalt on its right arm. Inigo hugged the bear close to him, looking at his father with pleading eyes.

“Alright, but only if you promise to go to sleep, deal?” Chrom offered, giving his son a small smile. Inigo would never call his father out on his bluff, especially since it involved his favorited stuffed bear. He had no idea his father was even bluffing in the first place. The bear had been a gift, given to him when he got his own room away from Lucina so he wouldn’t be scared. Chrom had told him that the bear would protect him and that as long as he had that bear he would never be alone.

“O-okay, Daddy,” Inigo said nervously, releasing the small bear so that Chrom could help him change into his night clothes. Looking back, Chrom wished he had stayed in that room that night. Naga herself knows that if he could turn back time, he would have stayed all night just so he could protect his little boy.

He had had a bad feeling that night. Gods, he wished he had listened to that feeling and stayed in that room, but instead he had ‘Freddie Bear’ outside of the room, protecting them. Chrom knew that if anyone could protect his two children, it would be his most retainer. Frederick had always treated the two of them as if they were his own so who could possibly be better for the job? The answer was no one and yet he was woken up to his son screaming. He didn’t think twice when he bolted from his bedroom. He made it out just in time to see the thief holding his son, who was screaming for him to save him, to jump out of a nearby window.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say it would be out tomorrow or the day after. Instead it is out today! This is the chapter where some changes start to occur.

“Chrom!” Robin yelled as he barged into the exalt’s office, “I heard the news!”

He was panting as he entered, when he heard the news from Cordelia, his beloved wife, he knew that he was needed in Ylisse. He wasn’t going to leave Chrom when his son had just been kidnapped. When he arrived in the capitol he ran straight to Chrom’s office, not stopping for a second.

His old friend was more distraught than he had ever seen him before. Even after Emmeryn’s death, he had never looked this terrible. When Robin had entered the country borders, the first thing he had noticed was how the usually sunny and vibrant nation that had always been so full of life had a dark cloud over it. It was obvious that when the smiling prince had been stolen away, the life of the country had been stolen with him. The citizens had taken the news almost as hard as the royal family had.

“I shouldn’t have left him alone, I should have stayed with him that night, or had a guard stay in their room, or-“

“Enough!” Robin interrupted his despairing friend, “You can say I should have all you want but that will not change the facts. Inigo was kidnapped, yes, but we can find him and we will get him back. As both an ally and a friend, I vow that Plegia will send you aide in finding Prince Inigo.”

Chrom was his closest friend and over the years since their initial meeting they had become something akin to family. He considered the Shepherds to be closer to family than his own, as his birth family had only ever cared for him because of what he could become. Robin had treated Chrom’s kids like family and he was not planning on stopping that now.

“But Robin, we have no idea where Inigo is, or even where to-“

“Let us start with the kidnapper. You saw him right?”

* * *

 

After a month and a half, they found the man that kidnapped Inigo. Unfortunately, they hadn’t found the young prince with him but Robin had assured Chrom that his two retainers would drag the information from him. Chrom had to agree with him on that, his only rule was that the man didn’t die through this. He had committed a crime against the Ylissean royal family so he had to be tried in a Ylissean court.

Robin had become the king of Plegia after what was commonly referred to as the Valmese-Ylissean War. Plegia had been missing their king and Robin was the only one left to take the throne. Since he had taken the throne, he had smoothed relations between Plegia and Ylisse and had two retainers as there were many that wanted him dead. His two retainers were Tharja, who married the Ylissean thief, Gaius, and Henry, who married Chrom’s second retainer, Sumia.

Robin had given the two permission to do anything to get information on the missing prince so long as they did no kill, accident or not, the kidnapper. It had been two weeks before Robin decided to sit in on the interrogation session for the first time. He learned that they had brought ‘interrogation’ and hexing utensils from Plegia. He was proud that they weren’t using dark tomes as there was a high chance of him dying.

They had been at it for hours, hours of taunting, hours of abuse, hours of healing him only to start the cycle again. It was enough to break even the most kept together man. That was exactly the reason he gave the job to Henry and Tharja. After they repeated this cycle for the third time, Robin had ordered Henry to use the knife that was previously left untouched. The theory was if he thought they were going to kill him he might be a bit more loose-lipped. Robin was correct.

“I… I don’t know his name!” the thief yelled out, “H-he never once gave it to me. I never even saw his damned face. He came to me while wearing a mask, promisin’ me a stack of gold.”

“What else do you know?” Robin asked, motioning at Henry to bring the knife closer to his throat. A small line of blood started to trickle down his throat.

“Nothin’, I swear!”

“He’s lying,” Tharja hissed from where she stood on the other side of the prisoner, “I can tell. Maybe I should test out some of my new curses on him for lying to _my_ Robin.”

Robin decided it was best to ignore the comment about him being _her Robin_ , “I promise to let you live as long as you just tell me what you do know.”

“He was Feroxian, I could tell by the accent. He was one of them fancy types, not one of them royals though. His clothes weren’t that fancy, but they were up there. All of his servants had a flower on ‘em,” the man said, eying where the knife was.

“Anything else you notice?”

“No, nothin’.”

“Henry, Tharja, we’re done here,” Robin said, walking to the exit of the dungeon cell.

“Awwww,” he heard Henry whine, probably wishing for more blood, but Robin needed to relay the information they obtained to Chrom.

* * *

 

Inigo had ended up in the hands of the same noble that had wanted his beloved mother, Olivia. A noble of strong, Feroxian blood that went by the name of Lord Merek. He had wanted her to show off as nothing but a pretty little trophy. He had wanted to boast that he had snatched up the most beautiful woman is all of the continent. He would have even given her the spotlight in his underground theater, which he named after a foreign flower called asphodel. It was where all the nobles of the neighboring lands would come, as they knew he had the best and most beautiful dancers in all the land. He had even allowed male dancers to perform on his stages. All of his dancers wore masks so that none of the nobles would recognize them as many were obtained through less than legal means.

Lord Merek had loved how much Inigo looked like his beautiful mother. The exception of this were his hideous vivid blue eyes and the brand that shined proudly in his right eye, signifying his truly regal and holy blood. He had hoped that Inigo would stay looking like Olivia as he had nothing to gain from people noticing his true lineage. It was that reason that he decided that when Inigo came of age he would be treated as any other dancer. Until he turned thirteen years of age, he would be treated like the lord’s son and would be trained to be the rising star of Asphodel.

That was what he had been for nearly a month and a half. He had ordered one of his older dancers to teach him. He cared not for her true name so he simply called her by her Asphodel-given name, Edith. He only kept her around for the patrons that liked the touch of an older woman. She had dull brown hair, that was starting turn lighter around the roots, and had gained a few wrinkles. Lord Merek had decided to check up on the little prince’s progress on that day.

“One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Inigo you need to lift your arms up higher in that part,” Edith ordered as Lord Merek entered. Edith was the only dancer who was made privy to Inigo’s heritage. She would have figured out anyway as she had served under the royal family for a short time. She had left willingly after Lucina had been born. That was the reason she had ever seen his right eye.

It was when Inigo saw Lord Merek enter that he stopped completely. He no longer wore fine, princely clothes but clothes fit for a dancer. Why would Lord Merek give him things that would be of no use to him in Asphodel?

“Where are my mommy and daddy?” there was a waver in the young prince’s voice as he spoke.

Every time Lord Merek saw the boy, he asked him the same question. This would lead to pitiful tears that the lord wished Inigo would grow out of. What kind of prince would cry at such trivial things?

“I told you time and time again to forget about them. They left you _with me_ because they do not want you anymore,” Lord Merek told him what he had told him any time he had asked before. He cared not for mincing words or sparing the child’s feelings. It was high time he accepted the lord’s words as truth. He was the boy’s father now.

“M-Mommy says not to lie,” Inigo stuttered, trying to hold back the tears that were seconds from breaking through. “A-and Mommy and Daddy would never leave me! They love me!”

He could deny anything that the boy had said, but that was the one thing he could not deny. Anyone with a working eye could tell that the king and queen loved their children. That was one of the many reasons that made the lord know what would happen if he was caught with Inigo.

Every soldier in Ylisse would be notified of what he had done. They would be ordered to bring him to Ylisstol so he would be tried for kidnapping, possibly treason. If he was lucky, his friends in the Ylissean court would lessen his punishment. If worst came to worst, he would be executed. That was why he had to ensure that Inigo believed his father had abandoned him and did not want him.

“Keep in mind, I still have that bear of yours,” Lord Merek threatened, practically spitting out the word ‘bear’.

If he hadn’t noticed how attached the prince was to the bear, he would have had it burned or thrown out. He had the bear locked away and promised to return it if he improved in his dance lessons. If Inigo refused to listen to him, he would threaten him with destroying the wretched bear. If Lord Merek was lucky he would forget about the horrid stuffed toy and he could safely dispose of it.

“He isn’t just…! His name is Mister Bear and my daddy gave him to me!” Inigo yelled, glaring at Lord Merek. This was the most his spouts of rebellion would go.

“Well if you do not listen to me and practice your dances then Mister Bear will be leaving your side permanently,“ Lord Merek watched as Inigo looked at his feet, biting his lower lip to keep quiet.

Oh, how he would enjoy burning that idiotic to cinders. He would enjoy destroying that terrible toy. All it accomplished in doing was pointing Inigo to that accursed exalted family. The less signs that connected Inigo to the current exalt, Exalt Chrom, the better off Lord Merek would be. For now, the bear had to stay intact and with the little prince.

“Now, let us start again…”

* * *

 

Gerome had been living in Southtown for the past year. Ever since Inigo had disappeared from his life, he had closed off to practically. He had continued to train for the position of retainer in Southtown. He had taken to wearing masks after seeing a street vendor selling them. He never asked for much, as his parents had raised him to respect what he had, so when he asked for the mask his mother didn’t think twice about buying it for him.

He had initially gotten it because he thought it would help with keeping a wall between the others and himself. After he began to dawn the black metal mask he realized that it gave him an advantage in battle. None of his trainers could predict what he was thinking. After a few months of wearing it, Cynthia began visiting him. She told him it had an evil villain vibe and that he should join Justice Cabaal with her. He could play the perfect evil villain… Gerome choose to decline that invitation but he soon found out that it had never been a choice in the first place.

It was when he turned eight that he finally returned to his father’s side at the castle, Minerva at his side. She had taken a liking to the small child. Gerome had decided to start training under his father again. It had been hard, much harder than his trainers back home. He had gone out of his way to avoid Lucina but she had purposely sought him out after he was there for six months.

“Gerome!” he heard the blue haired princess say as she stormed after him. All he saw was the pink-haired prince when he saw her. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

He simply grunted, averting his brown eyes from her blue ones that reminded him so much of his missing friend. His father would have made him run laps around the castle until he was satisfied if he saw him refusing to answer the princess. She just reminded him so much of Inigo that he could hardly bear to be around her.

She looked him in the eye and glared, something that her brother would have never done, “Is it because of my brother? I knew the two of you were close but-“

“Apologies, Princess, but I must return to my training,” leaving her with those words, he made his way to the training field. He refused to let anyone in, not after the pain of losing his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, I am putting things out in a more linear fashion. That means there will be less flashbacks. I am _not_ getting rid of all flashbacks. I have a few plans for the direction, something I was actually going to do with Two Lifetimes (or Timelines) but I am instead planning for this.


	3. Chapter Three

It had been eight long years since Inigo had been brought to Lord Merek and Inigo had just turned thirteen years of age the day before. Edith had looked more distraught than any day before. She had explained to him that he would be rooming with the other dancers, but she would sneak his beloved bear to him. She told him not to let anyone see the bear and to keep it in his bag, which all dancers were permitted, at all times.

He had also been told to be strong, that he mustn’t give the Asphodel men the satisfaction of knowing what he thought of them. They would try to break his spirit but that he needed to keep smiling. He had a faint memory of the parents he had been told had left him behind, that they had died. He remembered that they had died after he realized that they had truly left him behind.

He remembered a blue haired man whose face and voice he had long since forgotten telling him to practice, fighting was in his blood. He had said that he was only to raise his sword to protect, but he still wondered what he had to protect. He remembered his mother’s pink hair that she had passed on to Inigo. He remembered her dances, including one that involved the use of swords. His new father only allowed him swords if he was practicing those dances, but he was watched very carefully when that happened.

All thirteen years he wondered why had they left him. Why was it they had left him with Lord Merek? Were they friends with him? Or was it true that they had abandoned him? Why was it that Inigo could not find it in him to hate him? A part of him still wanted to believe that they were alive. It was a small spark in him that they refused to die. Edith would always say that hope reminded her much of his parents. She wasn’t allowed to tell him the names of his late parents, saying that it would just cause him pain.

Inigo was practicing one of Lord Merek’s dances when he saw two guards enter from the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth to say something, what he couldn’t recall if he was being honest, but the guards grabbed him roughly by his arms. He was dragged out of the room with him dragging his feet, he had a bad feeling. They had never been that rough with him before so why had this changed now? He began to be dragged from the familiar halls he knew all too well to darker, more unfamiliar ones. He had never left his father’s estate but he had been informed he would once he joined Asphodel.

Everything had started to look the same, with dark walls, no bright expressive colors like he had become familiar in the last eight years. He was brought to a dark room with a wooden table in the center. He was pushed towards the table and ordered to lay down.

Inigo could only give them a confused look. Lay on what? The table? He stood for what felt like a few minutes before they pushed him onto the table and pulled at the hem of his pants so his left hip was exposed. He began to fight back as panic began to truly set in. The two guards were holding down, he barely registered that they were speaking to him, his only focus was to escape from being pinned down.

It was then that he noticed a man walking up to him, holding an object that he recognized as a needle. He had no hope of escape but the young thirteen-year-old boy fought against the older men in any way he could.

The moment the needle pierced his skin, he could feel a burning sensation all over his skin. It was the most painful thing he had ever experienced and he wished it would just stop. He tried to scream out for help but not a single sound came out. He kicked, he tried to pull the needle away but his hands were pinned down, he did anything that he could think of to escape the source of his agony. He had never felt that hopeless. He couldn’t do a damned thing to protect himself.

After what seemed like hours, he was finally released. On his hip saw what he recognized as a white flower. An asphodel.

* * *

 

_Keep in mind, boy, you are no longer ‘Inigo’. You are the dancer, Laslow. You will answer to that name. I am not your father; I am Lord Merek._

Maybe if Inigo – no, Laslow had listened to those words he wouldn’t have been in such a situation. The thirteen-year-old was huddled in a corner where he had been reprimanded for running from the room. Lord Merek had been seated with the nobles of the house they were performing in. He had yelled at the dancer, telling him that he made a fool of his lord for the stunt. He was reminded that he was no longer his son, Inigo, and was his property, Laslow.

Inigo had apologized over and over, not sure what he was apologizing for in the first place. He just knew that if he didn’t apologize, it would not end well for Inigo. At first he had put his hand against the boy’s cheek in a caring way that made Inigo look at him. Instead of the face of a loving father he saw the look of disgust, not that he had expected him to actually care for him. He removed his hand and slapped Laslow across the face. He didn’t end it there, no he dragged it out. He kicked Inigo to the ground, punched him multiple times, and degraded him. When it was all over he told Inigo to remember this if he ever even thought of pulling that stunt again.

He didn’t know when he began crying, but by the time one of the others found him he couldn’t stop the tears. When he heard the footsteps, he had immediately tensed up. He only calmed down when he heard the familiar voice of his dancing teacher, “Inigo, what happened?’

Edith had been the closest thing Laslow had to mother. She had been the one to heal any scratched, show him what it meant to be loved. She was the only person in all of Asphodel that truly cared for him.

“I-I ran from the stage so F-Father… so he got mad and… and- “

“Oh dear,” she said, sitting down on the filthy floor, she looked him over and frowned. She gently pulled him into one of her warm embraces, careful not to harm him any more than he already was. She pulled a small cloth out of the pocket of her dress and dabbed it against his cheeks, wiping the tears away and any dirt from his face.

“There, there. Now tell me, did Lord Merek do all of this?” she asked after deciding his face was clean enough. He knew he must look terrible with all of the newly obtained bruises. He averted his eyes and slowly nodded his head, not trusting his voice.

Edith looked him over once again and released him. She opened her mouth to say something before pausing and shaking her head, “Why don’t I tell you a story?”

He examined her, not understanding why she would want to tell him a story at that moment of all times. But Inigo was never one to turn down one of her stories, “Is it about the prince and the dancer?”

He had always loved those stories. He wondered if his real father was anything like the kind prince when he was alive. He remembered when she first told about the kind prince and shy dancer. He had been with Lord Merek for a year and was still quite scared. There hadn’t been a single night back then that he had failed to cry himself to sleep until that night. She had pulled the crying boy in her arms and asked if he had wanted her to tell him a bedtime story. It was then that she started to become the mother figure in his life. The shy dancer had decided to help the kind prince in a battle against a mad king. With her beautiful dances she had caught the eye of the prince. It hadn’t been long before they married and had a little girl, and he was told they even had a little boy. After their daughter was born, they were brought into war again. They would defend each other in every battle after that. The kind prince became a kind king after that, and of course a kinder father to his two children.

“Yes, but this more about the dancer the prince loved. Her name was Olivia. She was a more amazing dancer than the kingdom had ever seen, and had helped them in two wars. She did have one problem though, she was terribly shy,” she began, but Inigo had already known about her being shy, “As you know, she was going to become the queen one day. This one of the biggest problems because of how shy she was. Queens had to be able to talk to their people during audiences or even nobles during court. She had to get over her shyness, just like you have to.”

She attempted to cover up the pained expression on her face but Inigo still caught it all the same. He had never liked it when she frowned, she looked much better with a smile on her face. He wished he could make the world smile.

“How? I mean, how could she just get over it?” Inigo asked, trying to understand how this ‘Olivia’ could get over her shyness so easily.

“Olivia had a friend who was a noble, but a nice one. The noblewoman was named Maribelle. Well, Maribelle decided it was her job to help Olivia get over her shyness. She worked long and hard researching how to help her dear friend get over her shyness. Well one day she came up to Olivia and you her ‘you need to try flirting with strangers’,” Edith said, stopping as she noticed Inigo’s confused expression as he attempted to figure out where the story was going.

“Well Olivia wasn’t a big friend of this idea, but Lady Maribelle was determined to help her friend and could be very convincing. She dragged her soon-to-be queen around the towns they visited during the second war and it surprisingly worked. Of course, her prince was not very impressed with this idea but she was able to get over her shyness because of this idea,” Edith finished, looking at the boy with a smiling face.

“Flirting?” he asked with an utterly confused face, “That was how the dancer got over her shyness?”

“But of course, after all the hardest part is always saying hello. That is what you need to start doing, not with the patrons but with the other dancers.”

* * *

 

Chrom had been searching high and low for Inigo for nine years. Chrom had gone through everything that happened with Robin multiple times, sometimes asking Olivia to recount what she remembered. Whenever he could, he would personally lead the searches for him. Lucina, who was now seventeen-years-old, was leading the current generation of Shepherds in looking for her little brother.

In the last year, he had to lessen his time out of the castle as they learned of countries to the east of the Halidom on another continent all together. It had been around Inigo’s thirteenth birthday when they discovered the other countries. There were many small countries, but the largest of these seemed to be the empires of Hoshido and Nohr. Nohr had been conquering the nations surrounding them from what he had heard from Gaius when he went there to spy. They were in a cold war with the neighboring land of Hoshido.

On that day they were going to have a meeting with the princess of Hoshido, they had planned for her to arrive near Regna Ferox. After her arrival she would be handed off to the Ylissean guards Frederick had rounded up. They were among the younger generation and had trained under Stahl and Sully.

“Lord Chrom!” a guard yelled as he ran into the throne room where Chrom was awaiting the princess. “The princess of Hoshido, she’s-“

“Calm down,” Chrom said, noticing his obvious distress. The guard breathed in one deep, shaky breath, “Now what happened?”

“Princess Azura is missing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was very vague in the tattooing/branding process on purpose. I know little to nothing on it but I wanted to write the scene out. Just so you know, all of the dancers have that on them. That is how Lord Merek keeps up with his "property".
> 
> This was something I couldn't figure out how to work into the original work, as I hadn't planned out the scene for it then. There are a few things I wanted to add in the original but it would have been strange for them to be mentioned then but not earlier in the work.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was not planning on updating this week as I have to pack but life happens. Basically, yesterday I managed to sprain my ankle (or something, we don't know and I really don't want to go to the doctor's) and I can barely walk without it hurting like hell. I had nothing else to do so I wrote.

_They are late._

In the early years of Asphodel, which started a year or two prior to him meeting Olivia, he had met a group of bandits. He cared not for remembering their name or even the name of their leader. Every two or three months he would rendezvous with them in relatively the same area, a clearing on the outskirts of a Feroxian town near the capitol. During this he would buy their wares at a higher price so long as they brought him some new talent. The talent included dancers, singers, and every so often they would bring him a bard. He had learned in his early days that singers and bards were important to the enjoyment of his patrons.

He had many of his first patrons leave Asphodel because of its lack of music to accompany the dances. Beauty and grace can only get a theater so far. He needed true entertainment and not just the kind that occurred behind closed doors. He needed music for the dancers to dance to and singers to add a story to each show that he put on. He had long past the time of pointless dances, he needed music and storytellers. Of course, his bards and singers would never enter the ‘golden’ rooms as long as they did not dance, as their outfits were generally more conservative and were hidden from sight.

Lord Merek was pulled from his thought when he saw a wagon covered by a long stretch of cloth, the bandit’s convoy. This cloth kept onlookers from seeing what, or more specifically ‘who’, was inside the convoy. It was because of Lord Merek’s partnership that they were able to afford such a sophisticated way of transporting their stolen goods. When the convoy stopped, a young girl was shoved, or kicked, out of the wagon. The girl had fallen with her face in the brown stained snow, her long sky blue hair was splayed all around her. Her small, dainty hands were bond behind her back. It was a truly pitiful sight and if Lord Merek was a better man then he may have felt pity for the girl. He, however, did not feel any such feeling towards her.

She slowly looked up to send a subtle glare, that Lord Merek thought did not belong on her face, to the bandit who stood in the convoy with her strangely golden eyes. She stayed silent, not daring to utter a single word. She wore a long white dress that seemed to be purposely split just barely above her waistline. The dress bore many rips on it, some had been stained red from where the cuts broke skin. She had a fire in her eyes that reminded him much of Olivia’s boy, who she looked barely a year or two younger than. She had an innocent about her with her soft, delicate features that most commoners could not say they owned.

“Who is this?” Lord Merek asked as they roughly pulled the girl to her feet. She had long gloves that exposed the ends of her fingers which were again ripped. He could see the bruises and dirt on her otherwise fair skin. He could tell that the girl had fought against them and her mere presence proved that she had lost. He began to examine her face which had an emotionless mask on it, but in her eyes he could see that fire. He deduced that if they removed the dirt then she would make him a good amount of gold from that beautiful face alone.

“The lass? The name’s Azura, a princess from a foreign land,” the leader of the bandits said.

Those beautiful, soft features made much more sense now. Of course she was a princess. All of the signs had been there; the pride of a royal in her golden eyes, the silk of her dress, and even the expensive golden necklace she wore around her neck. It was obvious that she was from noble birth when he finally thought about it. The question was no of her lineage, no, the question was ‘was she worth keeping’?

“Are you a dancer?” he asked the girl as he walked around her, examining every inch of her. Beauty alone was not enough of a reason to keep a princess, if she proved to not be worth keeping then he would leave her then and there. If she was indeed worth keeping , it mattered not whether she was a princess or not, what did matter was how much of a profit she would bring him. Her beauty alone would entice many a men to spend more money on more shows. Now if she had talent to match…

“Nah, she got the voice of an angel though,” the bandit said before turning to the young princess, “Go on. Sing ‘im a tune.” She closed her eyes and opted to stay quiet. The pride of a royal was not something easily forgotten, take Inigo who still held onto that pride after nine years. Merek watched as the bandit pressed a curved, jagged blade against her throat, “We could always send your dead body to your poor family.”

Her eyes shot open, widening at that statement. The bandit smiled as he removed his knife, knowing he had hit a weak spot. She then began to sing and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever noticed. He saw the profits increase as he saw the subtle swaying and dancing as she sang. She would bring him just as much gold as that idiotic prince brought him.

_You are the ocean’s gray waves_

_Destined to seek,_

_Life beyond the shore, Far away_

_Yet the waters, ever change, flowing like time_

_The Path is yours to climb…_

* * *

 

Inigo was fourteen years of age when he met her. He was sitting in the dark, dank cellar of some noble’s estate where they decided to room the dancers for the week. They had all been talking among themselves when Lord Merek descended the creaky stairs with a young girl with long blue hair, longer than he had originally thought possible. She had on a purple and black dress with a black veil on that covered her nose and mouth, acting as her mask. She had on black gloves that showed the tips of her fingers. Around her neck was a golden necklace that Inigo could feel a strange energy from. He turned her attention to her uncovered eyes just as she looked at his, her golden eyes had both compassion and a strange pride in them.

In Asphodel the less fabric they had to waste on the dancer, the better so many of the female dancers were barely covered in anything Her outfit was much more conservative than any of the others, including Inigo’s own outfit as he was one of the few male dancers. Inigo was completely shirtless. He had on gray pants, which only he was allowed to wear. Around his waist was a sheer, thin fabric was only a slightly darker pink than his hair. The knot helped cover up the brand on his hip. Over his pants were dark, high boots. They weren’t like the type that the guard wore but were flexible enough that he could move like was required of him. On both the boots and the sash were silver bells. He wished he had been given something less, well, loud like the new girl’s.

“This is Aqua, and she is a singer that will be joining you on the stage starting next week. She can dance so she will be on equal footing with all of you,” Inigo frowned, knowing what that had meant. The golden room. He had only ever been there a few times but he remembered very little of most of his visits. He did remember waking up sore and drinking something strange. The few visits he did remember were of him sitting with the patrons at the tables. “I expect every single one of you to welcome her with open arms.”

Inigo watched as Lord Merek walked back up the creaky stairs. Not a single dancer stepped forward to talk to her. Everyone knew that Lord Merek did not desire for any of them to grow close. In fact, it benefited him if none of them were close to that he had no worries of them banding together for a mass escape. It had worked so far and most of the older dancers were distrustful of newcomers. Inigo, however, was the exception to that rule as he trusted that most did not join willingly and were not plotting against the others to get ahead.

Inigo stepped forward, walking closer to Aqua who was just a hair or two shorter than him. “My name is Laslow, I hear yours is Aqua. What a beautiful name for an equally beautiful girl,” he added a wink for the effect.

“Thank you, Laslow but I am not staying,” she had a determined look in her eyes.

“Many people say that when they first get here but they all find out that it is not an easy thing to do. None have succeeded so far and almost all give up,” Inigo whispered in her ear.

“I will. I have… I have to meet with Exalt Chrom,” Aqua said, looking at the door at the top of the stairs. It was not hard to figure out what she was thinking.

“That door will have at least two guards and many more past that. Only one person got past the first two but she was killed not long after that. We are not given weapons very often,” Inigo explained. He wanted to escape must as much as her. He wanted to know the truth behind his parents, maybe find his family, but he knew it was a futile attempt. He would be killed just as easily as anyone else there.

“Laslow, why are you telling me this?”

“A beautiful lady like yourself should not die on her first day here.”

* * *

 

It had been nearly two years since Aqua had first come to Asphodel and during those years she and Inigo had grown close. He had learned that she was from a foreign land and that her mother had been the one to teach her how to sing and dance. She had died doing the very thing she loved, leaving Aqua with a family that had despised her. This family had been Nohr but she had no stayed there long as her aunt, Mikoto, had stolen from Nohr. She had been stolen so that they could trade the Nohrians for her cousin, Corrin. Corrin had just willingly returned to Hoshido before Aqua had gone to Ylisse for peace negotiations.

Inigo had believed that Lord Merek had crossed a line. He would not be surprised if the two countries hated each other after that as the Ylisseans had ‘lost’ the Hoshidans’ princess. He had no told Aqua that as she seemed to be worried enough about the peace negotiations that she may never arrive at. Inigo had then agreed to help her escape Asphodel. He had never seen a more genuine smile than that day.

After that Inigo, or Laslow, had started to talk about himself. Aqua learned how Inigo had been told that his parents had abandoned him shortly before meeting their deaths. After hearing about who had taken in him after that she told him that it was not true. She had said that maybe they could find out the truth in the capitol of Ylisse, Ylisstol. He had laughed it off, saying that there was no way for them to find out the truth. Maybe it was her lack of good parents but she had wanted to help him.

That day had been different from any other despite starting the same, they had been traveling through the frigid cold of a land they knew as Regna Ferox. They were in the wooden wagon that was made to hide the contents of the interior from the outside. It was made completely out of wood so they could see through the cracks in between wooden planks that there was a heavy mist around the wagon. All of the dancers, save Inigo and Aqua, were huddled together asleep. As per usual, all of the dancer had a small bag attached to their side holding one or two items.

Aqua and Inigo were sitting next to the door that was latched close like always where snowflakes would flutter in and hit them. The latch had rotted over time but Lord Merek saw little need to waste valuable money on his dancers.

Aqua was huddled next to Inigo who had his cloak on, which was his only source of warmth. They had been on the road for what felt like hours and there was still no end in sight. Not that he could actually see where they were going to begin with. Aqua was humming a lovely tune when they felt a large bump against the wagon followed by the sound of wood splintering.

Aqua looked up at the crack in between the door and the wagon and her eyes began to widen as she whispered to Inigo, “The latch” He peered into the gap to see the wooden latch was split in half and hanging off on the side opposite to the door. It was finally their chance to escape. They nodded to each other as if to reaffirm what the other was thinking. They carefully stood, using the wall as leverage. The other dancers would just inform Lord Merek as way to increase their standing with him. When they opened the door it swung back and hit the wagon as they were hit with the harsh, frigid air and hard thick snowflakes. It almost made them stagger back from the sheer force but held strong as they jumped off the wagon and to their freedom. They rolled in the snow as they fell to the ground.

Not far away they saw the only guard that was guarding the door, a guard who was more rounded in shape. He was out cold and it would be a good while until any guards came to check on him. By that time, they would be long gone. Aqua ran towards the guard and searched his person before she took three items from him. She held a long, thin weapon that ended in a sharp point, a lance. The other was much smaller, a weapon with a sharp, jagged blade that he knew to be a dagger. She placed a small pouch in her bag with a clank. “We need to go, they will realize something is wrong soon,” Aqua said as she ran towards the thick forest. Inigo gave one last look to the wagon before running to catch up with Aqua, only regretting that they were leaving the other. Not once did the thought of leaving his ‘father’ and the consequences of such an action cross his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted Inigo and Azura, oh sorry, I meant Aqua, to escape on their own. I did not want them to escape by being bought, which means that I am going about certain things differently. Inigo is strong enough to escape on his own and so is Azura they just need the right circumstances. 
> 
> Also, Inigo is still fifteen. It is probably early spring in the story.


	5. Chapter Five

It had been ten long, hard years since Inigo had been kidnapped. Tension had been rising between Hoshido and Ylisse since nearly two years ago. Princess Azura had gone missing when she came for a peace negotiation. Ever since that day Ylisse had been preparing for an attack. A few months after the disappearance Ylisse had gotten word that Hoshido had started preparing their armies. Ylisse son began to do the same, doubling the patrols on the borders. Chrom had reached out to his allies, contacting Robin of Plegia, Virion of Rosanne, Say’ri of Chon’sin, and the khans of Regna Ferox. All of the countries had naturally agreed to help the Halidom. Hoshido had naturally done the same.

Chrom doubled down on the protection of the capitol. The guards patrolling the streets were on edge and walking in groups of twos or threes. The dark cloud that still stood after the little prince’s kidnapping had grown darker. At the entrance of the town they limited who could enter. One thing had not changed, all people who visited had to be searched and reveal their face when doing so. That had started ten years prior to the current high tensions so that they could find Inigo as soon as he entered Ylisstol. The citizens had agreed with that as they wanted their prince returned to the castle as soon as people. Now all people entering had to be searched and their wagons and begs had to as well. The castle was closed off for the first time in nearly twenty years.

As a close friend to the exalt, Robin had been on a visit in Castle Ylisstol when he saw Chrom’s current state. He was pacing back and forth in his office. Robin would have said something had he not noticed the report sitting on Chrom’s desk. Robin walked over to the desk and lifted it up to read, sitting in one of the chairs next to Chrom’s desk. He knew full well that he would have been asked to read it anyway so he had not asked once if he was allowed.

Even with the current high tensions between the foreign country, Hoshido, and our fair country, Gaius and the Plegian spy network have continued to work on finding the prince. While we were in Regna Ferox, Gaius had heard many of the noblemen and noblewomen talking about an ‘asphodel’.

He followed two of them to their manor and discovered that this ‘asphodel’ was less had to do with a place. They mentioned a boy named Laslow who ‘danced gracefully’ and was ‘beautiful for a boy’ and an Aqua who had a ‘lovely voice’ and was ‘the fairest maiden’ they had ever seen. We personally believe that these two have a currently unknown correlation to our missing people. However, there is not enough information to prove what this correlation is.

After reading the report, Robin understood why exactly Chrom was pacing back and forth in his office. Chrom was a lot of things, naïve, brash, honorable, he could go on all day on those, but patient was not one of those things. Well, not that it was impossible for him to be patient, he had on numerous occasions in the past. Those things usually did not have to do with threats to the Halidom or, even worse than that, his family. He had little patience when it came to his family and them returning to him. That report had unfortunately concerned both the Halidom and his family in one.

Robin had sat there, analyzing the report for a secret message. The most he could find was that the boy was graceful and beautiful and the girl had a beautiful singing voice. He would have thought more on these had Chrom’s incessant pacing not broken his concentration. He decided it was high time to end Chrom’s overthinking. Ever since Inigo disappeared he had started to have truly self-deprecating thoughts, like his wife was known for, when it came to his family and job.

“Chrom, you are pacing again,” Robin said as he placed the report back in its proper place on Chrom’s desk.

Chrom blinked, obviously having just realized that he was pacing. He probably had barely realized that Robin had even entered the room, “I would stop worrying about it. Gaius is in charge of finding and returning your son and the princess. Plus, I did give him permission to use my spies as he sees fit, as long he does not use them to steal candy of course.”

“It- It is not like I have any distrust in Gaius,” Naga knows that he had no worry about that, “but I am Inigo’s father. I should be going out there to find him, I should be the one to-“

“Chrom, the citizens of Ylisse need you here. Also, you are more likely to endanger him by going out there, which I have told you on numerous occasions. The person who kidnapped him more than likely knows who you are,” Robin had said rather bluntly. Robin was a firm believer in tough love, even with his own children. Chrom needed to understand that if whoever had Inigo saw him then they might decide to cut their losses and kill the boy before fleeing so Chrom would never find them.

“I need to-“

“There a few things that I find very interesting in the report, other than the flower asphodel. Gaius mentioned hearing the names Laslow and Aqua in relation to the flower so we probably just found our next lead. Maybe these ‘Laslow’ and ‘Aqua’ know a thing or two about our missing people,” Robin said, trying to get Chrom to stop fretting over what he thought he needed to do and get to do what he actually needed to do. He let a silent sigh of relief when Chrom sat down to work.

* * *

 

They had been walking for what Azura felt like was hours. The two of them had stayed silent for that entire time, save for the sound of crunching snow beneath her now numb feet. Laslow had offered his boots to her once, breaking the silence only for it to start up again once she refused his request. He had so little clothing on compared to her that she feared he would catch his death in the cold.

Azura had a plan. She could not involve Hoshido in this as they would blame Ylisse, saying they sold her to the theater. No, that was a terrible idea that would only end in war. No, she needed her one true friend in Hoshido, her cousin Corrin. Corrin could easily sneak off to Ylisse, maybe with one or two companions at her side. That was her plan, to get Corrin to help her sneak into Ylisstol and possibly the castle. She was positive that Laslow had family there. From what Azura had seen of Ylisseans, she knew that he had to be from there as he shared many Ylissean characteristics. He had more pointed, sharp features than any Hoshidan, or even Nohrian, could lay claim to.

It was then she stopped, wondering something. When she entered Asphodel she had been given a name so that they would not be discovered. She wondered if the same had happened to her faithful friend, Laslow, given that he was the lord’s adopted son. She decided they had traveled long enough that Lord Merek would not easily find them, she glanced back and saw their tracks had been covered by the falling snow.“Laslow, when you joined Asphodel, did they change your name? Is Laslow even your true name?” she said, finally breaking the silence. Azura had never been the social butterfly that Corrin had appeared to be. Even Sakura was more social than Azura could ever claim to be.

“Why do you ask?” Inigo said, his voice seeming to be higher. He seemed almost nervous about that question. She watched as he nervously looked over his shoulder to look behind them, something she had noticed him doing multiple times. What had Lord Merek done to make Laslow fear him so?

“We have left Asphodel so we are not required to call each other by our stage names. It would be nice to be able to call each other by our true names,” Azura offered him a small smile as if to set his nerves at ease. She would not go by her real name for anyone else but Laslow and Corrin, it was too risky.

“That is true. Well, then my true name is Inigo,” he gave her an exaggerated bow and a wink. She was sometimes grateful that when they traveled they did not wear masks. Though Laslow always had on his eyepatch while Azura’s nose and mouth were always covered by that gauzy material that Lord Merek seemed to love. “I imagine your name must be even lovelier to fit such a lovely lady.”

She was grateful that the gauzy material hid her blush, even if at their distance he could still see her smiles, “I am Azura, second princess of Hoshido.” Even if you have no real tie to the throne outside of your aunt.

“A truly fitting name,” Inigo said with a cheeky grin.

He was about to say more but that was when Azura saw it through the large, thick trunks of the dark wooded trees. A town, a relatively small town but a town all the same. “…is that…?”

As they stepped in between the trees they saw the vibrant town. It reminded her some of Hoshido in a way. The town used bright, loud colors that almost seemed to celebrate life itself. In the entrance there were vendors trying to sell their wares, as was in most towns no matter how off the beaten path they were.

One merchant was selling clothes fit for traveling and Azura figured she found the perfect way to blend in. She grabbed Inigo a loose-fitting blue tunic and an undershirt with the gold she took from that guard. He had had a large amount of gold with her, which was understandable as he was hired by a lord for an underground job. It would be enough to let them stay in the town and prepare for their journey.

Inigo was telling her not to fuss over him but she ignored him, continuing in her search for him, and her, some decent clothes. She grabbed him an extra pair of pants, that were more of a vibrant brown, and some white armored boots that did not have bells attached. She grabbed a belt for him to store items on and leather gauntlets. For herself she grabbed a simple dress as she was used to traveling in dresses and needed to hide who she was. She grabbed herself a cloak and some simple boots just for traveling. After that she bought Inigo a bronze sword with its sheath so that they did not have to worry as much on the road.

After that she saw that night was approaching. They were already getting enough strange looks by the townspeople so the duo moved onto the rather large inn in the center of town. The inn looked harmless enough so they passed through the doors for where they decided to rest the night.

Once they entered the inn, the atmosphere instantly changed. In the middle of the floor were two burly men fighting surrounded by people holding large cups and throwing gold onto the table, yelling things about putting their money on someone. Azura and Inigo had to fight the crowd in order to get to the desk where an even larger, bulkier man stood.

“We would like a room for the night,” Azura said politely as they walked up to the ma, giving Inigo a look. Most people would give a man and a woman very strange looks if they roomed together. People assumed only assumed the worst in those circumstances. Hopefully Inigo understood that.

“A man and a woman sharin’ a room, eh?” Azura knew the look he was giving them but chose to ignore it. If she wanted get less attention from this she needed to make the man think they were married. She laced her fingers with Inigo’s which made him straighten up and his cheeks to tint pink at the innocent action.

“Yes, _my husband_ , Laslow, and I are very tired,” Azura said, getting ready to pass him much gold as she needed to. They still needed to buy supplies, send Corrin a letter and wait for her arrival. That would take at least a month, if things all went according to plan.

“Five gold pieces for a night,” the burly man said, leaning over the counter to get a closer look at Inigo who had averted his eyes. It was making even Azura uneasy as she handed the gold pieces to him. “Y’know you look familiar-“

Inigo quickly put five gold pieces on the table, “I am sorry sir, but we would much prefer retiring for the night.”

The man slid a rusty looking key across the table, “It’s the room by the torch with a crack in it.”

Inigo and Azura quickly made their way down the hall. Inigo did not stop walking until they were safely inside their room where they latched the door and locked it so that none could enter. Inigo turned to Azura before saying, “I think we are safe here. Lord Merek would never step foot in such a dingy place, especially not for two easily replaceable performers.”

“He knew who you were,” Azura said, not listening to Inigo. She needed to send the letter then and not later. She pulled out a roll of paper and some ink she had grabbed without Inigo noticing and began to write to her cousin, not listening to Inigo as she wrote.

_Dear Corrin,_

_It has been so long since I have seen you and I wish I was writing to tell you that I am safe but I am not. I plan to continue my mission and for that you must not tell Ryouma or the others about my whereabouts. I know you must be thinking I have gone mad but I cannot have them involved and this leading to war. I plan to sneak into Ylisstol, which from my knowledge of Ylisse and its neighboring countries is a few months journey ahead. I will meet you in Ylisse, near the entrance Feroxian border. I know this is a lot to ask of you but please understand. I hope you do not tell any of the Hoshidans of this letter._

_Love,_

_Azura_

Azura rose from her seat, knowing that her plan was ready. All she had was to find a bird and send the note off to Corrin. She was positive that Corrin would come to her aid, they just had to get into Ylisse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if Fates (Conquest) taught me one thing it's that Azura does not make good plans but they somehow work (?) so I am using that to my advantage. 
> 
> As for this, historically speaking in most medieval countries it was actually completely forbidden that a man and woman could not room together unless they were married (It was thought that they were having premarital sex which back then was bad). Regna Ferox probably does not care about that though and will just give you a look but Azura does not know that.   
> Also for Inigo's outfit reference look at Awakening and for Azura, the maiden character except with a cloak over her hair. Inigo also has an eyepatch over his right eye which is made out of cheap leather.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally finished! I have never had such a hard time writing something, and not even because it was hard. I just kept getting interrupted and my niece (who I adore) kept wanting to play.

_It began shortly after her younger brother, Inigo’s, kidnapping, Lucina began to have reoccurring night terrors. They had started with the five-year-old Inigo saying how much he hated. As a doted on eight-year-old that had seemed like the worst thing she would ever hear. As the years progressed and he was still missing, the night terrors got even worse. The night terrors played off of the young princess’s anxiety about her missing brother._

_The night terrors would always start off the same, seeming more like reality than a dream. The prince and princess were the same age they were when they had last seen each other, five and eight respectively. They were holding hands as they walked through the vast palace gardens, Inigo holding Father’s and Lucina holding Mother’s._

_Whenever she would dream this part it would almost seem like the dream was more reality than reality itself. It made her believe that the reality of her missing brother was nothing else than a terrible dream. Mother would be doting on the two of them while Father would laugh and tell Mother that she was spoiling them too much. Sometimes he would even say that they would grow rotten from it all. Whenever she would look away he would spoil them just as much, but he was still the stricter of the two. It was perfect to Lucina but that perfection could not last forever._

_Lucina was holding her mother’s hand and smiling broadly as her parents talked between themselves. On her other side Inigo sat atop their father’s broad shoulders. Her parents were talking about things that the prince and princess could not yet understand. The smile she was wearing was quickly wiped off of her face as she watched all three of them vanish._

_“Mother! Father!” she yelled into the surrounding blackness that had once been her gardens. She ran in search of them, not knowing which way was which and quickly getting lost._

_“Inigo!” she practically screamed out, her voice now sounding like the eighteen-year-old she technically was. Before she could bat an eye she was in the Ylissean royal cemetery. She was staring at an extravagant grave that had ‘Inigo Ylisse’ engraved into it in scripted writing. She could feel cold rain drops hitting hard against her skin, telling her that it was now raining not that she cared._

_She fell to her knees into the mud, looking at the ground in disbelief. No. No! NO! Her precious baby brother could not possibly be dead. She could feel hot, heavy tears starting to blend in with the rain drops as they slid down her filthy face. She could not be bothered to wipe the filth or the tears from her face as the heavy sobs shook her entire body. He was the last person who deserved to die. He was… he was just a child._

_“Pathetic,” she heard a voice that was deeper than her father’s say, making her finally tearing her gaze up from the ground. There standing tall and almost transparent stood a boy that looked her father when he was younger and if he had dyed his hair pink. Something in her knew, she knew that the boy was Inigo. His hair was styled in a way that was reminiscent of their father’s hairstyle. The main difference between the two was that his hair seemed thicker and smoother like Mother’s hair. He had Father’s nose, narrow pointed. He even had father’s chin, albeit it was a bit softer than Father’s._

_Unlike Father he was not wearing any specially made royal garments. Instead he was wearing what Lucina considered to be rags. There were places in his clothing very obviously torn up and even had small rips. From what Lucina could see of him, he had bruises the size of small apples and jagged scars on most of his body. On his face he was lacking his small bright smile, in the smile’s place was a scowl that did not belong there. His eyes held only disgust, not leaving room for even a small glimmer of compassion or warmth._

_Lucina opened her mouth several times in order to argue, talk to him, anything! Unfortunately, no words managed to come out. “…you could have saved me,” he began softly, almost sounding mournful, “instead you chose to abandon me!”_

_She shook her head as she tried, and failed, to stop the tears that flowed freely, arguing with the illusion, “No! I never stopped looking for you!”_

_“Lies! You always hated me! You were jealous of me and wished that I would die,” he spat out venomously._

_“That is not true! I always loved you! I am sorry… I,” she swallowed down the lump forming in the back of her throat. She tried, and again failed, to keep her voice from cracking, “I am sorry! I am sorry for never spending any time with you. Please… please just come back.”_

_The tears were now blurring her vision, making it hard to make out her brother’s form. She missed him so much it hurt. Every single person who called Ylisse their home did. Any who so much as met him instantly wanted to get closer. He managed to weasel his way into everyone’s heart and his presence there never went truly went away._

_“No. Why would I want to go anywhere with the sister that lift me to die!” he yelled before vanishing before her eyes and all she saw was his grave. No… it could not possibly be true. He is not dead! She refused to believe that it was true._

“Inigo!” She yelled as she reached an outstretched hand as that alone could force him back to her. It was then that she finally realized she was awake, staring at the stone ceiling of her room in the barracks. Her brother was still missing, but more importantly than that he was still alive. She was in one of the numerous Shepherd lookouts in the Halidom.

There was a very slim chance that the vivid dream was real but she still fell for it every single time. She trusted that the illusion of her brother was telling her the truth with every word he uttered, even if he had always been the more loving and forgiving sibling. Where Lucina would get angry or frustrated, he would always show kindness. She had even been told by many that he had that much in common with their late aunt, Emmeryn, in that he was a lover, not a fighter.

Her thoughts often went to her missing brother. She could not help but wonder what he was like after so many years of them being separated. Had he continued in his training? Did he still dance like Mother had? Who did he look more like now? Mother? Or did he look like Father now? Maybe he even looked like both of them. Did he even remember any of them? Or… was the dream actually telling him the truth and he was dead?

“Captain!” she heard the high pitched cry of her dear friend Cynthia as she darted into the room, “Is everything alright?”

The young Pegasus knight had a worried expression settled across her face that fit about as well as the scowl had fit Inigo. She, like Inigo had been, had a sunny disposition about her and a normally cheerful look on her face. Those two just seemed to make the world a much happier.

Cynthia was wearing silver armor, which all royal retainers were gifted with, that looked much like Lady Sumia’s old armor. She had only seen that specific set of armor in painting of the Shepherds during the previous three wars. She had her white locks of hair pulled into two ponytails that were nestled high on the sides of her head. Lucina could remember Cynthia telling her that it was so that her hair would stay out of her eyes as she rode atop her Pegasus, Catria. She had named her after one of the three Pegasus sisters in Marth’s army.

The princess honestly could not ask for a better friend or retainer. Cynthia had been the one that had dragged Lucina out of her despair. She had been there for the princess every step of the way in ways that even her mother and father could ever do. Maybe it had been because the Pegasus knight reminded her much of Inigo. The two both shared their dramatic nature, even if Cynthia had never hidden behind Lucina because of a tiny bug. They also both loved to see the smiling faces of people. They both seemed to have a light that surrounded them and made the world a much better place just by doing something so simple as existing.

Lucina could remember when she was younger, before she and Lucina had become so close, Cynthia had been a close friend to Lucina’s younger brother. They had been practically inseparable. Cynthia was the daughter of Lady Sumia, Lucina’s father’s second retainer, and Sir Henry, one of King Robin’s very strange retainers. It made sense that the two would be close as Father and King Robin visited each other quite often as they were always close friends, It was because of their meeting that Inigo could grow out of how painfully shy he had once been.

Cynthia had been the one who had stubbornly refused to let him hide from the others. She would even force Inigo to play with her. Many of the nearby nobles (who often doted on him in hopes they would gain his favor) would sneer at her behavior as she was acting ‘out of her place’ around the crown prince. Father and Lady Sumia, however, thought that it was adorable and never once tried to stop her.

Lucina could even remember how they would joke about them already having a new queen. Lucina had no understood at the time that it was a joke and had thought they were getting rid of her mother. She had been in tears, running to her father’s arms as she yelled that she did not want a new mommy. Her father then had to explain to his little girl that they were not getting rid of her mother but were instead talking about how close her younger brother was to Lady Sumia’s daughter.

“Yes. I must apologize for causing you worry, Cynthia,” Lucina said rather formerly, even offering a slight tilt of her head. She carefully removed the thin blanket from around her as she sat up, not caring if her friend saw her in her night clothes. Lucina did not care much about if people saw her in her night clothes, especially since she knew how kind Cynthia was. She doubted Cynthia would ever judge her for something as shallow as clothing.

Lucina could hardly laze around all day. After all she was a princess, even when she still lived in the castle she still had duties to attend to, some of which required her to be awake in the early hours of the morning. Now having left the safety of Castle Ylisstol, she was leading a faction of the Shepherds. Her father did not believe she was fully prepared to lead the older member quite yet. He did however believe that she was ready to lead those of her generation as they had gone through mostly the same experiences.

She was being watched over by Sir Stahl to ensure everything ran smoothly but he mostly sat back and let her run things. He would only ever step in if it was required of him and reported her progress and how things were running to her father. In a way it was nice that her father had sent the Paladin as they needed someone with experience to help with training exercises.

“You had that dream again,” Cynthia’s normally loud and boisterous voice was surprisingly quiet as she spoke to the princess. To most it would seem respectful, and it was, but to Lucina it was just unnerving. She sat on Lucina, next to where the princess still laid. She was watching the princess as if she was waiting on her to open up about them. Lucina’s men knew of the night terrors that plagued their princess and not a single one had blamed her once or called her weak in the slightest.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice sounding too meek for her liking before she cleared her throat and continued in a more normal volume, “he told me how much he hated me and how it was all my fault.”

As much as she wanted to bottle up all of her regret (because princesses were strong and could handle it all on their own) she realized the necessity of telling the others. The problem with what she told herself was that she was not as strong as she pretended to be. As the crown princess she was required to keep it together, especially for her beloved parents. If she fell apart then who would be there for them? Who would be left to find her brother? Her father could only take much so she needed to be there in case it all became too much.

“Inigo would never say that!” Cynthia exclaimed, pulling her fisted hands in front of her in a desperate motion, as if it made much of a difference, “I honestly do not remember much from back then as I was four, but I do remember that he hated seeing people with a frown or even being sad! If anything our precious prince would be angry that you and the villainous Gerome have joined the ‘no smiles squad’! He would hate to see his old friend and favorite sister are frowning all the time!”

“Yes, of course he would,” she said, already picturing his exaggerated pout that he would get on his face whenever she refused to smile. If that pout ended up not working, which it normally would, he would use his last resort. He would use all the strength he had, which was surprisingly a lot, and tackle his older sister to the ground and tickle her until she smiled. He was truly the light of the kingdom.

“So you,” she hopped up and pointed dramatically at Lucina, “need to stop frowning and go out there with a smile!”

“I do not think I will be able to freely smile until I know my brother is safe,” Lucina grabbed the tiara that sat atop her neatly folded, clean clothes on her bedside table.

She had insisted on having a room with the others but her request had gone on deaf ears. Her comrades had even had the audacity to say if she tried to room with them that they would sleep on the forest floor instead!

“Cyn, I want you to go make sure everyone is awake for breakfast. I will be down shortly.”

* * *

 

Azura had been anticipating the next day and had quickly come up with a list of what Inigo and she would need. That morning, before Inigo had stirred even the slightest from the morning light, Azura had sent a bird out to her beloved cousin with her letter attached to its small leg. She sent a silent prayer to the Dawn Dragon that her message would not be intercepted by any enemy, or even friendly, soldiers. She sent a second one out so that Corrin’s siblings would not read the message that was meant for only Corrin’s eyes.

The sky had turned to a soft hue of blue when Inigo had finally started to stir from sleep, meaning that the duo could finally prepare to leave the small town. Azura had known that they would have to go into the market and fetch supplies. There was no telling how long they would be on the road, she doubted that the vast land of Regna Ferox held many cities, if any at all. She knew there was a mighty coliseum not far from the wall separating the Feroxi nation from the great Halidom of Ylisse. Azura and Inigo would have to hunt after their starting supplies ran short and so that they could gain more gold from traders in the towns.

True, she had stolen a decent amount of gold from the rather large guard but it could only last for so long. They had enough to get them started, as the day before she had bought herself a disguise and Inigo some decent armor. He was not at risk as his face was not as well known, at least to her knowledge, as hers. At the end of the day he was a commoner so they would look him over as a simple mercenary, which he looked like in the clothes she had bought him. She however was the missing princess and would be dragged to Castle Ylisstol, which was why she wished to sneak into Ylisstol on her own. Then she hoped that she could talk to Exalt Chrom and continue with the peace negotiations.

She, however, had other, more important things to worry about at the present moment, like ensuring they were properly prepared. And, well, leaving the small town before Lord Merek managed to track the two of them down. If he found them then they would most likely be killed off for running away so that they could never speak of his theatre. The more time they were free the more likely it was that they would tell people of what they endured.

The market was a bustling place and served as a great starting place. The vendors were all shouting about their wares and why you should buy from _them_. Some of the vendors had their meat hanging up so that any passing by could see how fresh it was from the hunt. On other they had their more extravagant fabrics lines up for people to see. She had seen the ones with the weapons and armor the day before and how they had training dummies set up to wear their armor. There were so many vendors that it would take too much time to explain all that she saw.

Azura however had somehow managed to stick close to the list. She had bought some extra cloth, who threw in a needle and thread for a fraction of the cost. This was necessary in case their clothing got ripped or torn on the road and they would not have to wait too long to patch it up. From the food vendors she bought fruit from those who claimed they traveled far just to sell it and meat from the nearby hunters. The hunters threw in two leather pouches, which cost extra but were important for traveling.

They did not only need things for food and patchwork but for sleeping on the road and just traveling. She found a vendor who sold tents and sleeping bags. She bought two tents, as she planned to meet up with Corrin and one would not fit all three of them. She figured she could share a sleeping bag with her cousin so she bought two, if they needed another one they would buy it then. She grabbed some bandages to help with healing any wounds they got on the road.

Their last purchase had been the most expensive. In order to get to the kingdom of Ylisse faster they would need horses. Azura had ridden horses before and had initially thought Inigo had been taught. He was raised by a lord so why would he not know? The horses however were different than the ones in Hoshido, closer to the ones of Nohr. The Hoshidan steeds had only a thin layer of short hair across their body. They normally had a creamier color, sometimes dawning a light gray or white, than the dark brown and black on the steeds before her. The steeds in front of her had long, thick hair that even went over their hooves. The horses looked stronger with thicker skin, like the ones in Nohr.

The merchant had even sold them begs to attach to the horses and two saddle. The stable boy had helped them attach the rest of their supplies, saying that the horses could carry it. The merchant that sold the horse had to show Inigo how to properly ride the horse, which surprised Azura even though it should not have. After watching Inigo ride the horse around in circles and make him speed up and slow down while atop the horse, they showed him how to stop. Once they felt like the duo were ready they finally set them off towards the exit of town, Azura doing a mental count, hoping they got everything they needed for their journey.

“You ready, Aqua?” Inigo asked, finally holding the reigns of his horse with some semblance of confidence.

“Of course, we need to head south from here,” Azura gave Inigo a small smile as she rode, turning her horse and tugging at the reigns so that the horse would start to gallop down the dirt road. While in the inn she had managed to get a map out of one of the men where she learned they were in the northern half of Regna Ferox. She was told that it would take them a month or two to reach the southern border of Regna Ferox, where the wall stood tall and proud. That was of course assuming all went well.

“If you do not mind me asking, Aqua, which way is south?” Inigo asked as his only visible sapphire eye scanned the surrounding area for any sign of the direction she spoke of. He of course saw only the town and more snow-covered trees.

“The breeze comes in from the north,” again the men from the inn told her this, “so it should not be too difficult to find our way.”

“Now, let us go to Ylisse, Laslow.”

* * *

 

The summer months had started when Azura and Inigo had finally managed to get past the Feroxian border, passing all inspections. When asked about Inigo’s eye, which he still kept covered, he said that it was a battle scar. Azura had wanted to laugh at that but bit her tongue, knowing it would only make them look more suspicious. After what felt like an hour, possibly two, they had made it past the border.

They had managed to survive the long journey, to Azura’s great relief. Azura had recognized the area closer to the border and, judging by his confused face, Inigo had too. She knew he had been young when he was abandoned so maybe he had originally been from Ylisse and traveled to the northern nation?

The duo had decided to stay the night in the nearby forest. This forest had much more vibrant colors, like the ones in Hoshido. The bark on the trees was a healthier brown while the green from the grass to the leaves was much more bright. It was also not covered in snow and therefore, more visible. Inigo had gone off to collect to firewood while Azura pulled their two tents from the horses when she heard a loud, high pitched squeal, “AZURRRRRAAAAA!!”

There was a blur of light blonde hair that was almost white in color as her world turned upside down. She felt her head hit the ground as a sharp pain formed at the back of her head. She felt wet drops of water that made her open her golden eyes to stare into two tear soaked ruby ones. Princess Corrin of Hoshido. The tears were trailing down her face, meeting at her chin and falling onto Azura. She latched her arms around her neck as she wailed, “I-I was so worried about you and- and then I got your letter. I-I missed you so much!”

“Th-thank you, Corrin,” Azura said, awkwardly patted the fairer girl’s back in a way to calm her down, “but you truly should not have fretted over me. I was simply fulfilling my duty.”

It was in that moment that Azura started to wonder if she was right in sending a message to Corrin of all people. The dragon princess must have been worried, Azura had honestly not expected any to be broken up over her disappearance. If they were it must have been because their precious princess was broken up over it.

Her cousin finally pulled away from Azura, sitting on the soft grass and wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked at Azura incredulously, “You certainly cannot still be thinking of meeting with that Exalt Chrom. It was his fault that we lost you to begin with!”

“No, the exalt was innocent in that. He had done everything in his power to keep me safe. All of my guards had been caught off guard from the bandit attack. Exalt Chrom just knows that I, a princess from Hoshido, am missing. I must complete my duty and speak with him on behalf of Hoshido.”

“How are you planning on even getting inside of the town? Even worse, how do you plan on sneaking inside of their castle?” Corrin asked as she stood up and pulled Azura up onto her feet. That, Azura had pretty much figured out. She would just walk into the town, they had no idea who she was so it could not be too difficult. Hoshido and Ylisse had purposely kept the identity of the royals, and the negotiation itself, a secret. It would have worked out if the bandits had not been there.

“I plan to walk right in. If you remember correctly, neither I nor Exalt Chrom of Ylisse know what the other look like so he most likely has no idea who the missing princess is,” Azura said as she brushed the grass and dirt off of her dress.

“But Azura that’s-“

“Who are you?” Azura heard Inigo asked as he returned to the campsite.

Azura turned to him with a gentle smile, “This is my cousin, Corrin. She will be helping us sneak into Ylisstol.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course Corrin wouldn't tell Ryouma that Azura contacted him. No, that would be the smart thing to do. Corrin doesn't tend to think things through, unlike Robin.


	7. Chapter Seven

It had only been a few weeks, bordering near a month, since Inigo and Azura had crossed the border into the Halidom of Ylisse. They had been traveling through the few towns near the Feroxian border, staying in inns on the lucky nights they arrived in a town, most they stayed in one of the thick forests. Corrin had been a big help with them gaining money to replenish their supplies. Inigo and Corrin would take mercenary jobs whenever the opportunity arose. Corrin had been helping Inigo with proper swordsmanship whenever they were not doing jobs and had stopped in a forest.

In Inigo’s opinion Ylisse was the most beautiful country he had been in and he could even see himself settling down in it. Many of the people they had spoken to had been shockingly kind and had even offered to help them. They realized after the first time the guards had stopped them that they had to be wary around them. They had been looking for someone and had been reluctant to even let them go. Luckily for them they had no reason to keep them besides lofty suspicions.

That day they had entered a slightly larger village. The town had a relatively large and beautiful market. Azura and Corrin had loved it and had wasted little time in replenishing their supplies and even replacing Azura and Corrin’s clothing. Corrin’s outfit was looking closer to a warrior’s, in a way similar to Inigo’s except there were no sleeves. Inigo’s armor had to be replaced after being attacked so many bandits on the road. Azura bought Inigo and Corrin replacement swords, as Corrin was told not to use her Yato unless it was necessary.

The moon had started to rise when Azura and Inigo had noticed what Azura recognized as a pub. Azura sent Corrin off to the inn they were staying at as she looked particularly tired after all their shopping. Azura and Inigo had both decided to attempt at getting even a slight hint at why the guards had seemed so on edge. Azura had previously told Inigo how it had felt that the soldiers were tense when she had first arrived in Ylisse. This was before they knew she was foreign royalty and had been found by her guards sent to her by the exalt himself.

When they entered the rather loud and energetic pub, most of the mix-matched tables were already being used by what the duo believed to be the regulars. When they entered, Inigo could feel sets of eyes falling on them as if they could already tell that the two were outsiders. Three women were walking around, balancing a tray on just one of their hands. One of the women seemed to be older than the other two, who seemed to be around Inigo and Azura’s age, but all shared that blonde hair. They seemed to know all of the people that sat about the pub and were even holding conversations, offering genuine but charming smiles at the customers.

“I-Laslow,” Azura said, tugging at Inigo’s tunic as he was lost in his surroundings, “we need to sit down. How about at the bar” she asked before dropping her voice down to a quiet whisper, “maybe he knows why the guards have been so on edge lately?”

“Yeah,” he said absentmindedly as he felt Azura hold onto his arms, most likely to keep from getting separated. After moving past many of the customers who were continuously getting out of their seats and knocking into both of them they sat at the bar, sliding into the tiny barstools. Behind the bar was a burly man with dark blonde hair that was pouring a drink for one of the other male customers.

“What will it be? The bartender asked as he finally looked up from the drink he was pouring. He finally really looked at Inigo and Azura, but his gaze was focused solely on the male dancer. “Do I know you?”

“No, I do not believe so,” Inigo said with a smile, glancing at Azura with his confusion only showing there. He must have Inigo confused with someone else, that was the only possible answer.

“Surely I know you from somewhere, you look so familiar,” the bartender pressed, leaning over the counter to get a closer look at Inigo, peering into his exposed eye. Inigo averted his eye, starting to feel uncomfortable with all the attention. He had never enjoyed having so much attention on him, even in Asphodel he had hated it.

When Inigo finally looked back at the man, he seemed to have made a revelation. His mouth was almost a complete circle and his eyes were shining with something. Was it possibly…hope? If so, what was he hopeful of? Inigo looked at Azura, hoping for some clue but she looked as clueless as he did.

“Marie!” The bartender suddenly called out, his voice raising over the already loud pub. A young girl who looked about fifteen ran forward. She had the same blonde as the man and the older woman. She held her tray close to her chest as she ran behind the counter, looking up at the man.

“Yes, Father?” The girl who he assumed was named Marie came to a stop right next the bartender. He leaned down, his hand covering his mouth as he whispered something to the young girl, glancing at Inigo as he spoke. When he moved back, she gave a swift nod before running off.

“Is something wrong?” Inigo asked, the anxiety he felt was unfortunately clear in his voice. When he looked up he could see two men getting up from their seat while keeping a keen eye on Inigo of all people. Behind him he could see some of the customers looking his way. It was too much attention in Inigo’s opinion.

“No, nothing. Nothing at all. Now, what will it be?” The bartender asked, giving Inigo a fake looking smile that he supposed was meant to appear charming.

Inigo wanted to leave. The information they could gain was not worth the torture he was enduring. He glanced Azura with a look that was meant to say ‘help me’. He just hoped the message went through loud and clear.

“Sorry but we have to go,” Azura said, tugging at Inigo’s arm as if to tell him to get up. As if he needed to be told.

“But you just got here,” the bartender said, already grabbing some bottles of ale from behind him.

“We really must be-“

“It will be on the house if you stay,” the bartender offered, swishing the bottle of ale around in the air.

“If you insist,” Azura said hesitantly as they glanced at each other.

They had never been offered something before, especially nothing like ale, while in Asphodel. Inigo had no idea how to proceed. Did he politely accept and just endure a few more minutes? Or did they refuse and leave? He had no idea. Luckily they did not have to ponder for long.

The doors swung back, hitting the wall with a _bang_. Azura and Inigo looked back to see two town guards walking into the pub, obviously not there for a quiet drink. Behind them was the daughter of the bartender who had run out not long ago. She pointed to Inigo, saying something he could not hear. Whatever it was made any near her look in his general direction, some even gasped with wide eyes.

The two guards advanced on Inigo, not daring to unsheathe their weapons. Inigo made a split decision to grab Azura’s hand and bolt towards the back door. He was blocked off by a customer right as they neared the door. The man reached for Inigo who narrowly avoided being grabbed before turning towards the bartender. There. He saw a door on the other side of the bar. He took off toward the door, ducking under his arm and making it to the door. He swung the door open, running off into the streets. He ignored the sound of footsteps, zipping through the back alleys in an attempt to lose them.

When Azura yelled that they lost them, they finally slowed their pace to a fast walk in the direction of the inn.

* * *

 

“What do you mean I need to dye my hair!?” Inigo yelled at Azura’s suggestion. After returning, Azura woke Corrin up, telling her exactly what she needed from the red-haired merchant, Anna. After retrieving the elixir, Azura finally told Inigo what they were doing. He did not take it well.

“They are looking for you, a boy with _bright pink_ hair and blue eyes. They will not be looking for a boy with both blue hair and eyes,” Azura said, picking up the elixir that was meant to turn his hair into a cobalt blue, just like his eyes. It was a thick liquid that Anna had told Azura and Corrin earlier would last for quite a while. It was enough to buy them time and time was what they needed at that moment. She still had to wonder why they would even be looking for Inigo but she doubted Inigo knew.

Corrin pulled Inigo into a wooden chair, holding him down as he kicked his feet a shrieked like a banshee to get away. Azura could understand the response, she would hate to dye her blue hair, which she had gained from her mother, any different color. Unfortunately, they knew what he looked like but she hoped that they had not seen anything past his hair and possibly his eyes.

“H-hey…! Corrin, let me – THAT IS COLD!" He yelled out as Azura ran the elixir through his soft pink locks of hair. His hair was surprisingly soft but she had little time to focus on the softness of his hair. She had to make sure the elixir covered all of his hair, effectively staining it cobalt blue.

“Be quiet, Inigo! It’s done now so go wash your hair!” Corrin said, releasing him only to push him towards the bathing room.

It had been a few months since Inigo’s hair was unwillingly dyed cobalt blue. Along the road they had come across a number of Ylissean villages. In one in particular they learned that the prince of Ylisse was missing and many had assumed that the kidnappers had killed him at a young age. Inigo could not help but feel for the kid, being stolen from his family and then possibly killed. They had followed the directions they were given but as they got closer to their destination, people started to become less than willing to give directions. The trio had managed to find their way.

That all changed when the winter months hit. They had been traveling through a relatively small forest when a storm hit. They had naturally ran to the closest source of shelter. They were forced to set up camp under what appeared to be a short cliff. They had huddled together for warmth that night, thankful when it was over in the morning. However, with morning came a terrible realization as they could not find the path they had been using to the capitol.

They were completely and utterly lost.

All the roads in that forest had looked the same so they were forced to take one and hope it was the correct one. After they left the forest they had begun asking if they were on the right road to any passerby they came across. Most only answered with a cold shoulder. Others, well Inigo was not going to repeat what they had said to the three.

One day that had all changed. They had been walking on the road when they saw a colorful wagon that was exotically decorated with strange people riding their horses beside it. Their clothing had such rich, vibrant clothing that he almost thought they were noblemen and women. He quickly scratched that thought when he saw the way they talked, big and expressive which he hardly saw nobles doing. It took him a second too long to realize what they were. They were merchants, possibly on their way to the capitol.

Inigo did not think for a second on what they would do for him jumping in front of their wagon. He simply just did it, only thinking of getting some kind of directions to even the closest town for a warm fire.

“Whoa!” the man sitting on the wagon yelled out as he pulled at the reigns of the two horses to tell them to halt. He was giving Inigo an incredulous look, probably not even noticing Azura and Corrin running next to him. “What the ‘ell are you thinking!?”

“Do you,” he said, pausing to catch his breath, “do you know the way to Ylisstol?” Inigo could only give him a simple smile after that stunt.

“You stopped in front of a moving wagon in order to ask for directions?” He asked, raising a single eyebrow.

Inigo flushed at that, “We got lost on our way, uh, back but no one has been kind enough to help us find our way.”

It was not a complete lie, they were on their way there and no one had helped them. They just had never entered Ylisstol in their lives. No one needed to know that.

“That would be because the capitol is closed off. No one can enter or leave unless you are a trusted merchant or a Ylissean citizens seeking refuge from the war,” the man explained, moving his shaggy brown hair out of his face.

“Why would they close of the capitol?” Inigo asked, looking behind and they simply shrugged. Azura looked just as confused as him.

“The war against Hoshido. They declared war against us a couple of months ago, killing the entire patrol in their attack. They did not stay after, they returned to Hoshido after that. “We’re at war?” Inigo muttered under his breathe. He looked behind him again and Azura looked as white as a ghost. He could imagine what she was thinking. There was no way for her to seek an audience with the exalt if he had just been attacked by Hoshidans.

“Did you… did you just say Hoshido?” Azura asked, stepping beside Inigo.

“Yeah, everyone’s been preparing for a second attack. Why do you- did you not know? Have you been living under a rock or something?” he asked, staring at Azura in shock.

“No one has said anything about it in the towns we have visited,” Corrin explained from behind them.

“Yes, well a war has been going on so the odds of getting into the city are slim to say the least.”

“I see,” Inigo said dejectedly. There was no possible way that the three of them could make it into the city. Even if they did manage to arrive in Ylisstol, they were more likely to imprison two of them, maybe all three, than actually allow them to enter.

“There are, however, secret entrances,” the man said, offering them a smile. All three perked up at that, watching him closely, “We were actually on our way to one of them, so long as you three promise not to cause us any trouble we would be glad to take you to one of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything that happened in this had a purpose (and was kind of difficult for me to write).
> 
> Inigo _almost_ got caught! Poor Inigo has no idea that he probably should have let them catch him but alas he managed to escape just barely. In a way I like this Inigo better because he escaped on his own and has been practicing with a sword and even escaped the Ylissean guards.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There a few phrases in this one that I realize later that I use maybe thrice too much. ^^'

It was nearing fall when they finally arrived near the capitol of the Halidom, Ylisstol. The city was gorgeous, even if it was obstructed by the tall, white walls that surrounded the large city. Inigo could hardly wait to see how beautiful it truly was behind those high walls. Outside of the occasional dream, he had only ever seen the city in paintings they had seen in their travels. Something about the holy city seemed to call to him. He could only imagine it was because of the amazing tales he had heard from the merchants and its great beauty.

“We are not going through the front gate. We will never make it past the guards there,” the man they had come to know as Mark said. Mark had been the one that had originally allowed the three of them to travel with them.

He was a merchant that had a way with animals that not even his own twin sister could hope to explain. That was the reason he was always the one picked to look after their horses. His twin sister, Mel, on the other hand was an apothecary. She would make many medicines that she would sell to the towns they visited, often at a much lower price than the other apothecaries that frequented the roads. His father, Lucius, was a talented blacksmith and his mother, Linda, crafted tomes for mages. She was always going on about how quickly mages burned through them. He later found out she meant that quite literally. They rivaled even the extensive Anna family when it came to diversity.

“How will we get in then?” Azura asked, gazing at the distant city as if she would find the second entrance just by looking.

“When you started traveling with us my brother mentioned that there were secret passages into the city,” Mel said, sauntering over to where Azura stood as she watched the enclosed city.

Over the time of getting to know Mel, they had quickly discovered that she was known for tricks. In her free time, she loved to mix strange little concoctions. She would often make them the same color as her strength and defense gaining tonics and laugh as someone’s hair turn green or, in some cases, they gained spots. Of course she would always make an antidote to go along with it. If she was in a good mood she would give them the antidote after she had her laugh. Other times she would wait an entire day before turning them back.

“Well we are going to the one that will take us to the part of the city that the guards almost never search,” she said, smacking her gloved hands together which made a muffled clap.

“Sooooooo, in short we are going to sneak past all the guards and then sell our wares in that part of town. If you want you can help us, but…” Mark said, walking behind his sister and placing his hands on her dainty shoulders. They truly looked like twins when standing next to each other like that. Both with the same carefree, expressive faces with matching caramel brown hair. Their eyes were reminiscent of the bark off the trees. They also both favored bows when attacked by bandits.

“Unfortunately we must go our separate ways once we enter the city,” Azura said apologetically before Inigo could agree to help them. He had grown close to the pair of siblings whereas Azura chose to distance herself.

“If only I could stay with such a beautiful and delicate flower as you, Mel,” Inigo said, adding a wink at the end.

“Delicate flower? Please, Mel is anything _but_ delicate. In fact, she could probably-“

“Please, please continue with that, dear _brother_ ,” Mel said with a mischievous glint in her eyes before turning swiftly to Azura, “Well for now, we need to get to the entrance.”

She pushed Inigo to his horse roughly, probably in a way to get back at him for calling her delicate.

They all mounted their horses, or in Mark’s case jumped on the wagon, and headed down the forest trail. Inigo and Azura trailed behind the wagon as they trotted along the long trail, away from the guarded main road. It was only in a matter of minutes until they came across what appeared to be a small cave.

The merchants immediately began unloading the boxes they carried their merchandise in and snuck through for cave entrance. Inigo, Azura, and Corrin followed closely behind the siblings with the parents following closely behind them. The walls of the cave were damp and rough, the latter, of course, was to be expected. The ground had descended for a while before it finally began to slowly ascended.

The exit came out at an abandoned building. The twins were the first to leave the cave, checking to make sure they were safe. “All clear!” they heard Mel exclaim from above them. First Azura exited the cave, followed by Corrin, all with no problems. It was when Inigo went to exit that there was a problem.

A stray piece of wood snagged onto Inigo’s eyepatch, managing to snap the string that held it onto him. He could only watch in unmistakable horror as it broke, revealing that there was in fact no scar but a strange design in his eye. The same design as was on his bear (which he still kept hidden from all of them). As soon as he got over the blinding light hitting that eye, he covered his eye with his hand as if that would do anything to keep them from having seen it. Lord Merek had always said the eye was cursed and he would rather not found out if it was a lie or not.

When Inigo finally stepped out of the cave and into the abandoned building he took in his surroundings. He was wondering if the building could even be classified as a building. There were holes in many sections of the flooring, and even in the roof, of the building. Where windows would have been, was haphazardly boarded up, or just torn out completely. One side had completely collapsed in it of itself.

“Where are we?” Inigo asked, not looking anyone in the eye. When he looked at Mel he knew she had seen his eye. She had a knowing smile and a glint in her eye.

“Welcome to the slums of Ylisstol.”

* * *

 

The trio had not stayed long after reaching the slums, only staying long enough to say their farewells and thanks. Inigo had decided to leave before the merchants could ask questions on why he was covering his eye. Azura and Corrin had forced him to remove his hand and had both seemed mesmerized by the symbol in it. The two had instantly started spouting suggestions on what it could be, Corrin more so than Azura. Maybe he had gotten a magic glyph on it, a blessing, or maybe it was just a strange birthmark. The last was the only one that he liked.

That had been all they had wanted to talk about on the first day. He wasted little time when it came to leaving the next day, even leaving all on his own. They needed to figure out how to schedule an audience with the king so that they could get Azura in the castle with no problems. The castle seemed to be taken straight out of a storybook with its high, white walls. He had to wonder if the inside of it was just as ‘storybook’ as the outside.

The bad part about leaving that day was that he had not found a replacement for his broken eyepatch. He had to keep the cloak hood up so that he could hide his face and none would see his so-called cursed eye. He had been there for barely an hour listening to the passing conversation and he could already see how much the people trusted their king. They were willing to accept the partial lockdown of the city. He found out it was not quite a complete lockdown as people could still enter and leave, after being checked of course. The people who entered and left had to be given explicit permission to do so and had papers.

He had asked a few townspeople why they were okay with it, except more subtly. They mentioned that the guards had been checking people at the gate for years. I had seemed strange to the dancer but he would tell Azura and Corrin about it later on. He had other things to find out like how to get into the castle _without_ being branded a criminal at least.

He had been walking through the market district for a few hours when he stepped into a building that seemed to smell sweets, not that he could buy anything. He hardly noticed the attention he was gathering by the other customers. He had been leaned against the wall of the shop with both his eyes closed when he felt an armored hand grab his shoulder roughly. His eyes shot open with a start as he was pulled back. He turned his head quickly, hoping that it was Corrin trying to ask more questions.

His hopes however were dashed as he saw a stern faced guard in silver armor and graying brown hair standing behind him. The guard’s piercing gaze immediately landed on Inigo’s uncovered right eye. The words the guard was going to say died before leaving his lips. Instead he mouthed a single word while staring at the startled boy.

His grip slackened for a second before strengthening again, a determined look shining through his eyes. He straightened up as he looked the startled boy over, as if looking for something specific.

“You are coming with me,” he said, pulling Inigo with him out of the small shop with Inigo struggling against the guard’s strong grip. It was not exactly painful but he had no chance of escaping at the present moment. Many of the people were now staring at him with a shocked look. It was then that Inigo elbowed the guard in an attempt to escape.

He didn’t hurt the guard like he hoped but did manage to startle him enough to release him. He ignored the pain in his elbow as he ran with the guard chasing after him. He did not so much as dare to look back, only focusing on running. He ducked under people’s arms and ran to the place that Mel had told them the guards never went to. The buildings quickly changed from newer, more beautiful houses to older, and often abandoned, houses. He had managed to lose them only a few moments after arriving in the slums.

He knew they were still looking when he heard the older guard yell out to any that had joined him in his chase, “Find the boy and bring him to the castle. I will go and inform Exalt Chrom.”

Instead of just giving himself up after that, he ran. He ran faster than he had thought possible. He had to ensure the guards could not find Corrin and Azura who were in an inn near the shopping district. He could only hope that the guards would give up on chasing him and went back to their daily duties.

* * *

 

Robin had been visiting Ylisse, like he was prone to do. Officially it was for the peace of Plegia and Ylisse. Unofficially it was because Chrom was his closest friend and he would always be there for him. He owed the now king a lot after the last Plegian-Ylissean war. Chrom had believed in Robin through everything, even when Robin himself did not.

Robin had been sitting in Chrom’s office while he looked over reports he had been given. Robin himself had a book propped open on Hoshidan battle tactics. Maybe if he found enough out Chrom would not have to ally with those Nohrians. Robin could not trust a single word their crooked king said, Chrom however was the more trusting of the two. He argued that they needed an ally who was familiar with the way the Hoshidans fought, Robin disagreed.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door that disrupted both of them. Chrom sighed before calling out, “Come in!”

It was Chrom's retainer who had been off for the day, a forced day-off at that. He was supposed to be with his wife and his son, not in the castle wearing armor. The man did not know how to take a break in Robin’s opinion. Lissa had tried to make him relax before but it had not worked. He had found the idea more stressful than doing his job. Before Chrom could say anything he bowed and spoke the words that Chrom had wanted to hear for so long, “We found Inigo.”

After those words left his lips the room went silent. Robin had finally closed his book and Chrom was looking at him with wide eyes. It was not Chrom that spoke next though, it was Robin, “Where is he?”

“He… he escaped us when we found him and ran into the… poorer districts. We are currently searching them along with the rest of the city for him. I have ordered my men to bring him as soon as he found and to bring him here safely,” Frederick said, looking at Chrom instead of Robin.

Robin understood why. Chrom was being shockingly quiet after finding out his youngest child was found and in that area of town. They both knew what Frederick meant when he said the ‘poorer districts’. He meant the slums where many hated the royal family. Chrom had tried to reach out to them to no avail. Many had even hated Emmeryn, according to Chrom at least. There was no telling what they would do if they found his son, their prince, there.

Robin knew that even now Chrom snuck into the slums when he had a chance and knew their opinion had no changed. Vaike and his men were the exception to people born and raised in such places. Chrom and Emmeryn had changed his mind on royalty and Lissa had even more with her agreeing to marry him.

“I give you the authority to put the city in a temporary complete lockdown, ending only when Inigo arrives in the castle. If he is in fact in that part of the city he needs to be found before any of them realize he is my son,” Chrom said, looking out of his window with a guilty look.

Robin knew that Chrom did not wish to go to such lengths but it was necessary for his son’s safety. Robin would do the same for Severa or the twins if it came down to it. Adding in the fact there was much they needed to ask Inigo. Speaking of which, how did he get past the guards at the gate without being brought to the castle?

“If you do not mind me asking, how did he even get to that area? It is a good distance from the city gate and we both know how many guards are near that gate. He would not have gotten far,” Robin said, trying to understand how a teenage boy could possibly get past so many guards. Especially a teenage boy that had very little training in the ways of battle.

“Inigo had apparently found a way to completely avoid the guards as he was in the shopping district when he was found,” Frederick answered.

“Well Chrom, it looks like we have much to ask your son when we find him.”

* * *

 

Inigo had always been particularly fast but he had never been faster than that day. He had not heard footsteps behind him in a while, especially from the older guard that they seemed to follow. Inigo did not spend much time worrying about the fact that he had alerted their king, or exalt as he called him, about his presence there. He also did not spend much time worrying about how familiar the old guard had seemed. He had been more worried about escaping the guards.

It was not long until Inigo came across a building that was in somewhat good condition. It appeared to be another abandoned building, which there seemed to be quite a few in Ylisstol. The door had appeared to be torn off, leaving the building open, and some of the wooden flooring was missing but it would work for the night. He would stay the night in the tiny backroom, which luckily had a door. Albeit it was a door that was missing the top half but it was still a door. He was sure the guards would give up by morning time. Well… that was at least his hope.

Those hopes were dashed the following morning. The sun had barely just risen when Inigo was awoken from where he lay in the dust covered floor to the sound of heavy footsteps. His whole body was stiff from sleeping on the hard floor and it took a second to hit him on why he was even sleeping on the floor. Once the morning haze cleared, which took a good two seconds, he remembered everything that had transpired the previous day. He slowly got up, cringing as he heard the creaking of the floorboards from where he moved, and searched the tiny room for an escape.

There was none. Not a single window or even a backdoor was found in that room, only tiny cracks between the wooden boards to let light in. He was truly stuck. Why had he not thought of that?

Inigo could hear three distinct voices talking in the larger room. Inigo listened closely, still not being able to hear what they were saying. They were speaking so loudly that he could not hear nary a word that they were saying. Inigo could only hope they would leave before checking the room he was in.

His hopes were twice dashed when he heard the three sets of footsteps stop right in front of the door. He was suddenly aware of how fast his heart was beating and how long they stood there. He could hear the words clearly but was not listening to them. Instead his attention shifted to the iron sword strapped to his side, where his hand now laid against. He slowly backed into the wall, distancing himself from the door.

He watched in unsteady anticipation as the door was flung open and a blonde guard entered. He scanned the room with his brown eyes until they landed on Inigo. Inigo was prepared to bolt towards the exit, sword in hand if the need arose.

The guard took a slow step toward him, his smile only faltering when he noticed the dancer’s hand tightening around the hilt of his sword, “We mean you no harm, we only wish for you to come with us to the castle.”

The blonde haired guard extended a nonthreatening, open-palmed hand to Inigo as if meaning for him to take it. Inigo did not. He hardly trusted the man and knew that they just wanted to throw him in the dungeons. He only snuck into the city to help Azura and maybe find out who he was. That was a big maybe though. In all honesty he had planned to leave after helping Azura, having helped end the current war if he was lucky.

Inigo peered behind the blonde guard to see two other guards. A black haired guard with a few noticeable scars and a seemingly young brown haired guard. He seemed younger than the other two. They began to step into the room but the blonde one held up his hand, “We are being completely honest. See?”

The guard placed his sword, still in its scabbard, on the filthy floor. Inigo could only stare incredulously at the strange guard. What sane person would leave themselves completely defenseless in front a person that could easily be their enemy? Inigo did not dare move his hand from his own sword’s hilt, knowing first-hand that a good amount of guards could fight without a weapon. He also knew not to disobey guards, but he had already burned that bridge by running.

The other two finally stepped into the room, understanding what the blonde one failed to see. Inigo did not wish to talk, or even so much as listen to whatever they said. He stepped back, feeling the wooden wall behind him. When they took another step to him, he did what the two had not expected. He raced to the door, his sword held tightly in both hands.

Unfortunately, he did not make it far out of the tiny room. The black haired guard grabbed him by his arm, forcing him to a stop. This also made him stumble to the ground as he lost his footing. The guard twisted Inigo’s arm behind his back, making Inigo’s sword clatter to the floor. He moved his other back in a similar fashion so that the backs of his hands were facing each other. Inigo was only confused by this for a split second before he felt the rope being tied around them. His wrists were quickly bound together in a matter seconds and then he was forced up to his feet.

“We did not wish to resort to such a method,” the blonde haired guard said guiltily as he picked Inigo’s sword off the ground and took the scabbard from him. The black and brown haired guards grabbed his arms, pulling him out of the building.

“Now what?” the brown haired guard said, looking around the slums with a look of disgust, almost as if he thought he was better than them.

“We bring the, uh, prisoner to the castle. Stay to the back roads,” the blonde guard said from behind them. Inigo tried to break the bindings so he could escape to no avail. The guards seemed to be keeping a closer eye on the surrounding roads than the to their prisoner. Did they truly believe he was not a threat?

After a few minutes Inigo gave up on getting out of the bindings as they made their way to the castle. They took a series of turns that quickly got confused in Inigo’s head. It took no time at all to pass through the many districts and make it through the main entrance of the castle. At the top of the steps the old guard from before was talking to two younger ones. Unfortunately for him, Inigo was brought up to the three of them. The two younger guards quickly retrieved him.

“Thank you for your hard work, I will ensure that the Exalt knows of your hard work today,” the older man said, addressing the three that had dragged him there, “You are dismissed.”

“You two know where to bring him,” Inigo heard him say as he was silently brought inside the castle and then through a series of halls fairly quickly.

He could hardly remember which ones they took so that he could one day escape. The farther they went the more heavily it was guarded until he was in front of an intricate door. They cut the bindings from his wrist and he was pushed into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inigo is back in the castle! So towards the end I kind of got tired of editing so that part may be subpar. THE REUNION IS UPON US! 
> 
> This one took a bit too long (in my opinion) just because there was a lot to figure out and write out.
> 
> The temporary complete lockdown would have been bad if Inigo had stayed away for more than just a night. In the end he would have given himself up just because the citizens do not deserve it. It was something I had planned on doing but decided against.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I had not realized it had been so long since I last updated. So sorry!

“As I have said multiple times before, I do not think we should trust the Nohrians. They remind me much of the old Plegia, too much so in fact,” Robin said, his eyes scanning the papers sprawled out across the long table in the meeting hall. Offering Lucina to marry their crown prince and if he has a son, offering him his oldest daughter, Camilla. It would be ‘proof’ of their ‘friendship’. The thing this King Garon did not realize is that it was highly uncommon that arranged marriages were done in the Ylissean royal family. It was only ever done as a last resort and when it was done the duo normally were good friends.

Next to the peace agreements from Nohr were the letters sent from the noblemen on their thoughts. They were having a meeting later on in the day with the old shepherds but Chrom had had an emergency meeting the day before with the council of nobles. Chrom had simply been informing them on where their crown prince had been discovered.

Robin had not missed how their faces contorted in disgust when he mentioned the slums. Some had even offered to go find him personally to ‘save’ him from the poverty stricken area. Robin had never wanted to use his Thoron tome on someone so badly before. It just got worse when they began asking Chrom to marry Inigo off to their ‘very beautiful and charming’ daughters. Robin would never even think of marrying his daughters off for alliances or political prowess. What did they gain from such a move?

Chrom had dismissed them with talk of how Inigo needed to agree to such a thing and that the prince needed to focus solely on his studies. Robin knew that Chrom was also thinking about that Inigo needed to adjust to the royal lifestyle. He most definitely not used to having every move he made watched and to be guarded so closely. The poor boy.

Luckily Chrom’s words had satisfied the power hungry nobles. Robin had no doubt that they would pounce on the boy the second they were allowed back inside the castle gates. Chrom had informed them in no uncertain terms that they were not allowed inside the castle until Inigo was ready. Only Chrom’s closest friends and allies, the payed staff, and the guards were allowed in the castle during that time. Any outside of that exclusive group were allowed to even look at him and talk of his son was forbidden until he was presented to the people. Robin understood why. He did not want Hoshido to find out about his son.

Chrom and Robin were in the meeting room that day to talk about one thing. If Chrom should ally with Nohr. A week prior to that day, the Nohrians had sent their crown prince in an effort to ‘help’ with the current war. With him were many high-ranking nobles bearing gifts. Even Chrom had noticed that many of them were more corrupt than the nobles that had just left. They were cut from the same cloth as the ones that had followed Inigo around, whispering suggestions in his ears when the guards would have their back turned. Robin had warned him of that happening when the prince was born. He had been correct. Chrom had found out when his son asked what a certain noble had meant the other day. That noble was no longer allowed in the castle after that day. The Nohrian crown prince on the other hand… he was cut from a much different cloth than the surrounding nobles. He was honorable and trustworthy, and he seemed to genuinely care about his people.

“We only know so much about-“

“Pardon my intrusion, Exalt Chrom, but the crown prince has finally been found and safely returned to the castle,” Frederick said immediately upon entering the rather large room, surprisingly unannounced. If he had not mentioned the prince, Robin would have thought he was coming down with a fever.

“Where is he?” Chrom asked, starting to get up but noticed Robin sending a pointed glare in his direction.

“He is in his room in the royal wing. All of the staff have been ordered not to tell him anything until he speaks to you, my king. At the present moment he is being cleaned up so-“ “Frederick! You should go get the three of us some tea, chamomile preferably. Chrom, I will go retrieve your son. Then we will ‘interrogate’ him,” Robin said, slipping out of the room before they could utter a single word of disagreement.

He wanted to get a good look at the crown prince, the boy that had gone missing twelve long years ago. Everyone at the castle had heard that there had been sightings and had sent for every single one of them. All had been from the same pub near Regna Ferox and had all described him the same way. He had vivid blue eyes, soft pink hair, and looked uncannily like the king. Robin needed to see this with his own two eyes to see if they saw a different boy or if they were telling the truth.

Robin did not have to travel far from the meeting hall to reach the royal wing. The royal wing was truly beautiful and few outside the royal family themselves and the best of the royal guards could say they had seen the place. Robin was one of those few. Inigo’s room was near the sitting room that Chrom and himself often frequented so he knew the way particularly well. When he entered he could hear a servant yelling from inside the room about Inigo having dyed his hair. He entered and a servant was grabbing a pile of neatly folded clothes. He knew that particular servant by name, being the only one with fiery red hair, Lena.

She had a particularly Severa-like scowl on her face and was muttering to herself, “What kind of prince dyes his hair? We will have to get an elixir from the Anna family in order to get rid of that color!”

By this point she noticed Robin had entered and her scowl worsened, “Who enters a room unannounced! Honestly, I thought you royal types had better manners than that!”

“Is he-“

“He is _almost_ ready”

That poor boy. Robin knew from firsthand experience how shocking having personal servants could be. He had been used to doing everything himself and suddenly these people were insisting on doing things for him. Things like changing his clothes and even bathing him. The worst part was that they did not take no for an answer so it was quite a shocking ordeal, almost as shocking as how fast he got used to it. Robin doubted Inigo had any such luxury where he had been taken after that night. There was much they needed to find out.

Robin sat on a small, dark blue sofa in the room as he waited for the prince to emerge from the bathing room where he had most likely been dragged. When the prince finally managed to escape from the clutches of his personal servants.

Robin could no longer doubt what the commoners had said. Inigo looked so much like his father. His features were slightly softer than his father’s, probably due to his age or something he got from Olivia. He still had the fair complexion that many nobles possessed, which was something that Robin considered an important detail. That small detail meant Robin could guess on where Inigo had been all that time. He had either been kept out of any sunlight so he was not forced to do any labor for them or he was kept out of any of the warmer, sunnier countries. That took out Ylisse and Plegia and left Regna Ferox as most boats were checked upon leaving the continent.

He had not been measured by the royal tailors at the moment so he was wearing spare clothes they had lying around. He was wearing a loose cotton shirt and some brown trousers. Robin could only assume that the armored boots were Inigo’s and not given by the servants. They had obviously styled his hair in a way that made his right eye draw more attention than it normally did. The brand practically demanded attention in that moment.

“Hello, my name is Robin and I will be taking you to meet the king,” Robin said as he got up from the sofa.

Inigo was watching him carefully as he stepped away from him, toward the balcony. Robin was not worried since he had watched them bolt the doors shut when Inigo was discovered in town.

“Why does the king want to see me?” Inigo asked, looking at Robin with a look that looked much like an expression Chrom would make. He looked too much like Chrom in that moment. Robin knew that if Inigo was anywhere else he would be punished for giving Robin such a look. He did not even realize the power he possessed over every person in Ylisse.

“I would not worry about that, now move along before I call the guards to pull you along with me,” Robin said, watching as Inigo hesitantly walked towards him. The boy’s gaze never once left the floor. He looked more like a child that had just been caught lying to his parent than the crown prince of a country.

Robin wrapped his fingers around his wrist, pulling him out the door. It was then he decided to make Inigo realize just how many guards there were by greeting every single one they passed. If he saw any he knew by name, he would say their name in his greeting. It was his hope that this would make Inigo realize that he safe, at least it would when he found out who he was, and that he was not escaping the castle easily. Even after he found out who he was there was a high chance that he would stage an escape. He was after all a teenage boy at the end of the day. Even Robin’s own daughters and son had snuck out of the Plegian castle a few times. Of course they were not in nearly as much danger as Inigo was.

Robin did not give Inigo time to memorize the way from his room to the meeting hall as he was more focused on getting the prince back. There Chrom sat at the head of the table, looking over the proposals from the nobles, probably in an attempt to distract himself from seeking Inigo out. Beside him was a cup of tea that seemed to have just come back. There were two more cups, one for Inigo and one for Robin.

“Chrom, here he is,” Robin said, sliding in one of the seats next to Chrom. Inigo seemed to be frozen, looking at the door where to guards were standing guard. Chrom finally looked up from the papers in front of him as Inigo finally slid into the chair on the other side of Chrom.

* * *

 

Sitting beside him was the king of Ylisse, or rather the exalt. The man seemed strangely familiar but Inigo could only reason that he had seen the king in a painting somewhere. Inigo had to stay quiet, no matter how strange it was for him. Inigo had made a personal promise not to give the merchants or Azura up, and he planned to keep that promise. He had no idea what the exalt could possibly want from him… except to see if he was a spy.

“Now for the first order of business. What is your name?” Robin asked, looking straight at Inigo. Why was Robin sitting in there? It was bad enough having the most powerful man in Ylisse interrogating him but now Robin was as well? What had he done to deserve this torture?

“My name is… Laslow,” he was going to give him his true name. It was still too early to see if he trusted them. He had only ever given his true name to Azura and Corrin, they were the only ones allowed to call him by that name as well. Inigo was also the only one allowed to call her by her true name as well.

The two men exchanged glances and Inigo could tell that he had already messed up. They could tell he was lying about his name, but how? No, that had to be his eyes playing tricks on him. They could not possibly know he was lying.

“Well, Laslow, you do understand that the city was on a lockdown when you entered, surprisingly without a single guard realizing that you were there. How exactly did you manage this?” Robin said, looking Inigo straight in his eyes. Inigo began fiddling with his shirt cuff.

Inigo averted his gaze as he spoke, “The guards must have forgotten seeing me. I am a forgettable face.”

He flinched when he heard a loud bang as Robin slammed his fist against the table. Inigo finally looked straight at Robin who looked annoyed.

“Why are you lying? You have very little to gain by keeping the truth from us, _Laslow_ ,” Robin said, emphasizing on his name.

“I… um, I… entered through a cave in the forest. It leads straight into the slums,” Inigo said, internally cursing himself for telling them that much. He had to be more careful around Robin if he truly wanted to escape.

“Why would you use this… cave to enter the town? If you are a Ylissean citizen you would be allowed into Ylisstol,” Chrom said as he watched Inigo as if he was analyzing every action the boy made.

“I am not a Ylissean citizen,” Inigo said softly, gazing outside at the beautiful city. True, the country had looked strangely familiar but he was not a citizen. All he knew was the icy, mountainous country to the north. He doubted that his parents were even Ylissean.

“Oh?” Robin said, glancing at the king who had his full attention on Inigo, “Well, we know you are not from Hoshido. No Hoshidan spy would allow themselves to get caught so easily.”

“No, I am not from Hoshido and I am definitely not a spy. I hardly even care for the war. I just… well, I just wanted to… return a favor,” Inigo said, looking at a random wall in the room. Was that truly all he was doing this for? To return a favor? Would he really sneak into a city just for a silly favor? Or was it because it was for Azura. He needed to help her, not just because she had helped him so much in escaping in Asphodel, but because she was a dear friend to him.

“Return a favor? What for?” Chrom asked. Inigo could not help but think that the king seemed far too familiar. Could he have lived in the capitol with his parents when he was young? Maybe his parents had been merchants? He doubted both of those thoughts though.

“A- They helped me escape a terrible place from… my father,” he practically spat out the last word. Inigo was not one to say how he hated someone, he was anything but spiteful. He was more likely to forgive someone than to hold a grudge, but he could honestly say that he despised every part of Lord Merek. The past year had realized many things from seeing families together. One of those was that he had never been Lord Merek’s son, at least not in that man’s eyes. He had been just another dancer. Another piece of property to him.

“Who is your father?”

Inigo looked back at the one who had spoken, the king again. Or maybe it was both of them? Who was his father? He could not answer for who his real father was. He remembered dark blue hair, but nothing past that. He could also remember his mother and her long pink hair and a love of dance that he inherited. Since entering Ylisstol, he saw quite a few dancers but none with long pink hair and especially none that had a man with them that made him think ‘Father’. The one who had raised him was Lord Merek though. That was the only name he could think of.

“His name is,” he grabbed at his elbows as he spoke, looking at his tea with a pained expression, “Lord Merek.”

After he spoke his name he could feel all the fear resurfacing. Before that moment, he had not thought much about what would happen if he was returned. Lord Merek would kill him. No, that was wrong, he would not kill him. Killing him would mean dirtying his hands and he could not have that. Instead he would unleash the guards on him.

“In- Laslow, you said his name was Lord Merek, correct?” he could hear Robin ask in what sounded like a quiet voice. Inigo did not trust his voice at that moment so he merely nodded his head ‘yes’.

He almost felt like if he turned around he would see Lord Merek behind, telling him how thankful he was for returning his ‘son’ to him. Inigo heard the sound of a chair screeching against the stone floor as it was pushed back. He did not dare look up from his tea until he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts. When Inigo looked up at who was behind him, he did not see Lord Merek but the king himself.

“Inigo-“

“How do you know my name?” Inigo asked, looking around. They had known his name the whole time.

<p.“Robin, do you mind…”

He was already out the door by the time Chrom looked up to him. Inigo was more worried on why the king knew his name. Inigo had never once said his real name to him.

“Yes, I know your true name and that you were lying about a few things tonight. Some you might not have realized were so and some that you were consciously lying about,” he paused, looking uncomfortable about something, “well, I knew this not because of my status as the king. I knew this because of a title I take much more pride in, my title as a father.”

“Your title of being a father is how you knew? What is that supposed to mean!?” Inigo asked. What was that supposed to mean? Did fathers have this innate ability to know when someone was lying? That made no sense!

“Inigo, calm down,” he tightened his grip on Inigo shoulder only slightly. Calm down? Why should he calm down? “What I am trying to say is that you, Inigo, are my son. You were stolen from us twelve years ago and-“

“Is this some kind of joke?” Inigo asked. He could not be a prince. Sure he remembered his father having dark blue hair and the king looked familiar but he could not be his father. I just was not possible? Why had he not been found before that day? Was he even looking for him? If he truly wanted to find him he could have found him!

“No, you are my son. The brand in your eye is proof of that. You must know we never stopped looking for you. Even to this day we never once stopped looking for you,” Chrom said, his eyes showing not a sign of him lying. He could not help but feel angry that his father was so… so powerful but he still was stuck in Asphodel.

Before he could yell or anything he was pulled out his chair and into two strong arms, “The day I got word that you were in Ylisse was my happiest, second only to this day, in a long time. We had all feared the worst when we had barely gotten any information on you after that first year of you missing,” Inigo could feel Chrom running a hand through his hair as he spoke. Inigo could not say anything as tears ran down his face as he sobbed. He could not tell why he was crying? Were they tears of anger or of joy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When writing I channeled my "B-support" Inigo. Basically one of the few times he genuinely shows how hurt or angry he feels is with his father (The lovable and awkward Chrom) so I channeled that. I mean Inigo is justified and I highly doubt he is thinking about how often they moved around.
> 
> If I write Chrom's POV it will be in the next chapter along with a few other scenes.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block is literally the worst. For like all of last and a portion of this week I could not find it in me to work on this fic. Of course, I did say not to expect many updates until I get out of classes. I meant that, I just had this week off anyway so I wrote in between Pokemon Moon sessions.

The king could hardly believe his eyes when he saw Inigo, his son, sitting beside him. His son, his precious son, was safe, and everything in him wanted to pull Inigo into his arms. If only to just tell himself that Inigo was real, that he was safe. It had been so long since he had seen him, he was practically a grown man now.

“Now for the first order of business. What is your name?” Robin asked in a tone that lacked emotion, looking straight at the young prince. Chrom could see the panic in his son’s vivid blue eyes, which honestly did not shock Chrom in the slightest. Inigo had always been a shy boy, taking to hiding behind Chrom or Olivia whenever people would pay too much attention to him. Still, Chrom shot a subtle glare in Robin’s direction for making his son uncomfortable.

“My name is… Laslow,” Inigo lied, saying a name they had heard before in relation to the flower ‘asphodel’. Chrom had been there when Olivia chose his name so there was no doubt in his mind that Inigo was lying. Chrom exchanged glances with Robin as if to ask what he was thinking: Why was Inigo lying about his name?

“Well, Laslow, you do understand that the city was on a lockdown when you entered, surprisingly without a single guard realizing that you were there. How exactly did you manage this?” Robin asked, looking the young prince straight into his eyes. Inigo was obviously just as uncomfortable as Chrom was at the current situation, as evident by him fidgeting with his shirt cuff.

Inigo averted his gaze as he spoke the next lie, “The guards must have forgotten seeing me. I am a forgettable face.”

Both father and son flinched when they heard the loud bang from Robin slamming his fist against the wooden table. Inigo looked fearfully at Robin who looked quite annoyed. Inigo had not realized that the guards at the gate were ordered to check every person coming through for the Brand of the Exalt located in his right eye.

“Why are you lying? You have very little to gain by keeping the truth from us, Laslow,” Robin said, emphasizing on his fake name.

“I… um, I… entered through a cave in the forest. It leads straight into the slums,” Inigo said, looking strangely guilty. There was still something that he was keeping from them. Maybe, just maybe he could find out what that was.

“Why would you use this,” he hesitated for a second, wondering briefly how he missed such a thing, “cave to enter the town? If you are a Ylissean citizen,” _and he is_ , “you would be allowed into Ylisstol,” he said, watching his son very carefully. What was he hiding from Chrom and why?

“I am not a Ylissean citizen,” Inigo muttered, looking outside the window instead of at Chrom. His expression showed that even he questioned if that was true. He was not consciously lying; he just did not remember living in the capitol.

“Oh?” Robin asked suddenly but Chrom did not falter in watching his son for a second. “Well, we know you are not from Hoshido. No Hoshidan spy would allow themselves to get caught so easily.”

“No, I am not from Hoshido and I am definitely not a spy. I hardly even care for the war. I just… well, I just wanted to… return a favor,” Inigo said. He looked unsure of his answer again, particularly the last part. Chrom could not help but wonder about the so-called favor.

“Return a favor? What for?” Chrom asked, noticing that Inigo had taken to looking at Chrom at that point. It almost seemed as if he was confused about something. Chrom briefly wondered if Inigo had recognized him as his father and was just toying with him. He denied that thought instantly since Inigo was always too much like Olivia, in fact he still held that kindness in his eyes that Olivia’s held.

“Ah- they helped me escape a terrible place from… my father,” the way Inigo said that last word hurt the king more than he thought it would. Chrom knew that his son was not talking about his true father, but it still hurt. Who was it that had hurt his boy? He would search the entire continent to find this man. Then he would show him why no one laid a finger on his children.

“Who is your father?” Chrom started asking at first but by the end Robin had joined in. This was the man who they needed to search for. Once they had a name it would make capturing him much easier. It would only be a matter of time before he would be brought before the court. Inigo was looking at Chrom with a look that made Chrom think he was studying him. Analyzing him as Miriel would say. This only lasted a few moments before a pained, almost fearful, expression spread over his son’s face.

Inigo’s hands went to his slightly shaking arms. “His name is,” he gripped at his elbows tightly, “Lord Merek.”

After he heard the name leave his son’s lips Chrom could see the already present fear become more pronounced along his face. His paternal instincts kicked in at that moment and Chrom wanted nothing less than to hunt down this Lord Merek. Chrom had to take a few breaths just to calm himself down.

Luckily Robin decided to continue the interrogation, albeit in a much quieter tone than the king had ever heard from him before, “Ini- Laslow, you said his name was Lord Merek, correct?”

Inigo did not speak, he only nodded as he gazed into the cup of tea. Chrom could not take it, seeing his son like that. He got out of his chair with more force than was probably necessary. Not even an army that was fully outfitted could stop Chrom from reaching his son in that moment. As Inigo was right next to him it only took a few moments to get to his other side. He placed a firm hand on his shoulder, squeezing it just slightly to get his attention. When Inigo looked up and saw that it was him, he almost looked relieved.

“Inigo-“

“How do you know my name?” Inigo asked, looking around the room in a frantic fashion.

The king could not believe he was so stupid. He had called Inigo by his true name when Inigo had failed to reveal it once to them. There was only way to get through this and that was to be honest with him. He could only tell Inigo who he was.

Chrom turned to where Robin sat as he spoke, “Robin, do you mind…” Robin was nowhere to be found. The coward. He had probably snuck out when the two were distracted. Though in a way that is a good thing as he now had the chance to talk to his son alone.

“Yes, I know your true name and that you were lying about a few things tonight. Some you might not have realized were so and some that you were consciously lying,” Chrom paused momentarily, feeling quite uncomfortable at that moment. How could he possibly phrase this and make it come out properly?

“Well, I know this is not because of my status as the king, I knew this because of a title I take much more pride in, my title as a father.”

“Your title of being a father is how you knew? What is that supposed to mean?” Inigo yelled out. Chrom had thought he had spoken it quite clearly. Apparently he had not, he probably should have been blunter about it.

“Inigo, calm down,” Chrom tightened his grip on his son’s shoulder just ever so slightly. “What I am trying to say that you, Inigo, are my son. You were stolen from us twelve years ago and-“

“Is this some kind of joke?” Inigo asked bitterly, in a way that did not suit him one bit. How could he think that Chrom would joke about Inigo being his son? No, he would never joke about such a thing.

“No, you are my son. The brand in your eye is proof of that. You must know we never stopped looking for you. Even to this day we never once stopped looking for you,” the king said, not tearing his eyes from Inigo’s once. Inigo was searching his eyes for something, anything. His face showed that he was conflicted, confused even.

Chrom used his grip on his son’s shoulder to pull him into his arms where he was safe, “The day I got word that you were in Ylisse was my happiest, second only to this day, in a long time. We had all feared the worst when we had barely gotten any information on you after that first year of you missing.” As he spoke Chrom was running a hand through his strangely blue locks of hair. Chrom could distinctly remember Inigo’s hair being pink and he remembered the reports all said that as well. He did not linger on that thought as he heard Inigo sobbing. His heart broke at that moment.

* * *

After Inigo calmed down, his father, the king of Ylisse, brought him to one of the sitting rooms in the royal wing. He could tell that his father had much he wanted to discuss with Inigo. Inigo had wondered why they could not do it in the meeting hall. On their way there he had seen the guard that he learned was named Frederick give his father a letter. He looked at the small letter and then nodded at him. Inigo was dragged off before he could ask the guard anything.

When they arrived, it all hit him. Chrom had passed him a fresh batch of tea. Inigo had not even realized he had another batch of tea made. “The servants had just brewed a fresh batch. It would be a shame to let it go to waste,” Chrom said, giving him a truly fatherly smile. Inigo however could not focus on that and just nodded, barely keeping his smile up. He was not some commoner’s son, or even a merchant’s son, he was the son of the exalt.

“I am your son,” Inigo whispered, more to himself than to anyone. He began to fiddle with his sleeves in an attempt to calm himself down.

“Yes, you are,” Chrom said, taking a sip from his teacup. Inigo was his son. That meant Inigo was a prince. Oh gods, how could he even go about being a prince. A prince was supposed to be composed and well put together. Inigo was none of that. He was not ready to have any kind of title.

“I am a prince,” Inigo whispered to himself again. It was then he took note of his tea again, he picked up his tea and sipped from it. He could see his father watching him quizzically.

“Yes, you are.”

If he was a prince his father should have found him. Why did he not find him? Why? He had been led to believe his parents abandoned him so why? Why did he have to be raised by Lord Merek?

“Why? Why did you not find me?” Inigo asked in a cracked voice. He could feel the tears welling up, a single tear managed to break free. He wiped at his eyes as his father moved to sit down next to him. He was pulled into his father’s arms. This time Inigo pulled his hands down and held onto his father’s shirt.

“We looked for you everywhere. I promise you that if I had found you, nothing could have stood in my way to get to you. We could not find where your kidnapper had you though,” the king said, running a soothing hand down Inigo’s back. That was right. Lord Merek had them moving around so often so that the royal guards could not find him. If the guards spotted Inigo, then he would be imprisoned and later executed.

“That is why… that is why we moved around so much,” Inigo muttered under his breath. The king narrowed at his eyes at nothing in particular. Had Inigo said something wrong?

“You said ‘we’. Is that just you and this lord or…?” or were there others? That was the question that his father wanted to ask. Inigo knew that was what he wanted to ask. Just remember how Azura and he had left them there brought tears to his eyes once more. He had left them to die! They could have saved them!

“There were others,” he tightened his grip on Chrom’s shirt. How could he be so selfish as to leave them behind. “I should have helped them escape but I left them… I left them with him.”

“Inigo, we will find them. As soon as your ‘uncle’ gets the letter on that man, they will be searching all of Regna Ferox for him. If he manages to pass the border into Ylisse, he will be captured,” Chrom reassured him. That would not stop him. Lord Merek was the worst kind of man that existed. He had managed to avoid the Regna Ferox guards for so long. He would come after Inigo and probably kill him for opening his mouth. Even if Inigo had not mentioned Lord Merek and what he had done, he would still be killed. Inigo was a liability now that he knew who he was, that was how Asphodel worked.

Not to mention the dancers still there. Any that he had spoken to could have been killed. All of them could be dead just to ensure the guards could not find him. All that mannered at the end of the day was if Lord Merek and Asphodel survived. No one else mattered to that man.

“But he will… he could have already,” killed them, those words never once left his lips. The moment he said it, the dam would break. It would make it seem real if he said it.

“Then he and whoever works under him will be tried in court for murder, as well as treason. He will not get away with this,” Chrom said, pulling Inigo away just enough to look at him. “Inigo. Do not worry, I will ensure that he gets punished for everything he has done.”

There was a certain power in his father’s words. This power made Inigo trust whatever his father said. He could only nod in response. His father looked determined about something, Inigo had no idea what it could possibly be at that point.

“Well Inigo as you said earlier you are a prince. There are certain things that will be changing in your life because of this simple fact,” Chrom said, changing the topic.

“First of all, you cannot walk around with at least one guard inside the castle. Outside you must have five plus your retainer,” Inigo opened his mouth to protest but his father shot him a stern look, “No, I am not budging on this.” Inigo leaned back against the sofa, having shrugged off his father’s arms, and had a small pout on his face.

Inigo was not the biggest fan of guards. The point of Corrin teaching Inigo how to wield his sword properly was so that he could protect himself and Azura. He knew he could hold his own, and he had many times. In his experience from Asphodel, guards only cared about nobles which he technically was.

“Secondly, you will have personal servants. Three of which you have already met. It is their job to attend to your every need and to ensure you are properly dressed. Inigo stop pouting,” Chrom said, shooting him the same look from before. “You will also start your lessons back up, this includes your training under my retainer.”

Inigo had a lot he wanted to say but kept his mouth shut. “There is more that you must know, today you will be tailored for your clothes and you will not complain. If everything goes well you will not need to be tailored for some time.”

“But I-“

“Inigo.”

* * *

_The previous night Inigo had failed to return to their hotel room. They had at first thought he had simply gotten lost but when the moon was in the middle of the sky they decided to look for him. Azura had naturally been worried about him. What if he was hurt? Why had he even left on his own? It was dangerous for him to go out on his own. It was entirely possible that all the guards in Ylisstol knew what he looked like because of that one guard. It was that fear for her close friend that led them to search for him instead of sleeping._

_Unfortunately, they were not the only ones looking for him. The guards were in a frenzy searching the slums for him. It was quite obvious to tell that a guard had chased him into the slums before getting back-up. Inigo may not be the strongest but he definitely had more speed and agility than most men she had seen in Hoshido, not counting the ninjas._

_The people that lived out in that section of the city all looked miserable at having so many guards. It was rare to see more than a couple of guards in the slums, but this had Azura confused. Why would they be so desperately searching for Inigo? He did not look even slightly Hoshidan so that could not be it. It was the guards swarming the streets that led them down the back alleys._

_“We need to help him,” Corrin said as they saw Inigo being dragged by two guards, with a third tailing behind them. He had not noticed the two girls, and she honestly doubted that he would at that moment. They had his wrists bound with rope behind him, but even Azura could even tell they were handling him more carefully than most would. They normally did not care much for a ‘criminal’s’ well-being but those three kept glancing at Inigo and checking to make sure he was okay._

_“No, we will just make the situation worse,” Azura whispered, her chest hurt in that moment. “We will… we will rescue him. I will not allow him to get hurt.”_

_“But Azura-“_

_“I need to go speak to those merchants,” Azura said, remembering the way that Mel had looked when Inigo’s usually covered eye was revealed. It was shocking to see a symbol on someone’s eye. Mel looked like she knew what it was and had a strange smile on her face. What did she know that they did not?_

_It hurt to turn her back on Inigo when he needed them but the duo had to speak to those merchants. Maybe, just maybe they could find out what that symbol meant. Was it a curse or something else? Azura could not see Inigo being cursed by anyone so she personally saw it as a blessing._

* * *

“Well that is enough talking for now,” Chrom said after the two had spoken a while.

It had been pleasant to get to know his father. He had accidently let a few things about Asphodel slip out when talking about his past. His father had informed him of more rules of the castle which were more minor than the ones before like rules you would tell a child. He was told that his teacher on history, law, literacy, tactics, and etiquette would be someone named Maribelle. His teacher on science and math would be someone named Miriel.

“Would you like to get to know more about your home, Inigo?”

“Of course, Father,” Inigo said as he stood up from the sofa. He was led out of the beautiful room and into the long hall.

“This is the sitting room closest to my office and your mother and my chambers, both of which are just down this hall,” he motioned in the direction of the rooms, “Closer to the exit of the wing is where your sister’s and your own chambers are located,” Chrom said as he directed him along the long hallway. As soon as they made it out of the wing, he was ushered down a smaller set of stairs than when he first arrived.

Chrom directed Inigo to a few doors as he spoke,” This door leads to the barracks, where the castle guards and the royal guards sleep. Just outside this door are the training grounds. These are the same ones as you will be using for your lessons with Sir Frederick. Across from the exit here is the armory. You will not be using this one that often as we have one in the royal wing.”

The door that led to the training grounds so the prince could just barely see the men training out in the yard. He could his father’s retainer, Frederick, barking orders to them. He could hear him yelling about how if they could not handle that ‘light workout’ then they might as well quit. That among other things made him realize that they were most likely new recruits. He did remember hearing something about Ylisse being a war with Hoshido. Inigo needed to find a way to get his father to talk to Azura so that they could end the war.

“Frederick,” Chrom started, making Inigo turn to his father again, “will go back over the basics with you the first week, among other things. You will not move onto handling your weapon until your training armor and proper armor are commissioned and then completed.” Chrom led Inigo outside of the door where he saw the men sparing amongst themselves. Off in the distance he could see parts of what he assumed were the royal gardens.

When his father mentioned commissioning Inigo armor, he wanted to say that he already owned his own set of armor. It had just been taken from him… along with his weapons. He honestly had no idea where they had taken either of them.

The recruits had all stopped sparing when they saw their king step out with Inigo. “My king, is something wrong?” Frederick asked, motioning for the recruits to take a break. Many were far too interested in Inigo to pay any attention to Frederick. Inigo almost wanted to step behind his father to hide.

“No, nothing at the moment. I was just showing Inigo around the castle,” Chrom placed a hand on Inigo’s shoulder, “and while I was at it, I thought I would show him the training grounds.”

“Ah yes, Prince Inigo,” Inigo could hear some gasps and hushed whispers from the recruits, “your lessons will be at the beginning of the day, that way it does not interfere with the recruit’s lessons,” Frederick said, nodding his head in respect to the boy. Some of the recruits started to complain, wanting to have the chance to train with the prince. A swift glare from Frederick and a promise to make them run laps if they continued shut them up.

Inigo thought getting up at such a hour was a terrible idea. In fact, he hardly need to go over the basics, he knew how to fight with a sword. It was something he had continued to practice even after being taken by that wretched man. When he was younger, before being branded as an Asphodel dancer, he had found it easier to find a weapon. After all, he still had some freedoms then.

“Well, we will be off then. I will see you at the meeting later on,” Chrom said before leading Inigo back inside. Even after the door closed behind him, Inigo could still feel their gazes on him. He did not have time to dwell on that feeling as he was led through long corridors to a room that sat near the entrance of the castle.

The room seemed to have a different feel to it, it felt so powerful that even a blind man could tell where he was. He was in the throne room. The room was void of any people, save for a few maids. Inigo did not miss the chance to shoot them a wink along with his signature smile. He wanted to talk to them but was pulled back by his father. He was then dragged out of the room with much trouble.

It did not take long before they arrived in the royal library. He looked up and could see that it went up for two three more floors. Inside at a table near the front was a red-haired woman wearing glasses and a rather large hat. She did tear her eyes from her book once, even when his father began talking, “That woman over there will be one of your instructors, Miriel. I would properly introduce you but it would be unwise to do so as she is reading. This is where you will have your lessons with both Lady Maribelle and Miriel.”

He was again ushered out of the room and Chrom brought him to one last room. The dining hall. It was honestly beautiful, just like the rest of the castle. It almost seemed too big for something as simple as eating. He did not have long to think about how beautiful it was.

“My baby!” he heard a woman’s voice yell out almost the second he entered. He saw a flash of long, pink hair and the air was knocked out of him. It was enough to make him lose balance which in turn meant the two were both tumbling to the ground. The older woman was still hugging him tightly when they landed on the ground. He recognized the woman as soon as he saw her face. She was the queen of Ylisse, his mother.

As soon as she realized that the two had fallen she shot up and began checking him for injuries, “A-are you okay? Are you hurt?” She was talking so fast in her distress over him that he could only nod and shake his head to her questions. “Oh, sweetheart, I missed you so much!”

She pulled him into another tight embrace. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around the queen, his beautiful mother. She was hugging him as if she thought he would disappear right before her eyes while tears ran steadily down her face, “I-I am so glad you are okay!”

She released him from her embrace so that she could place her hands gently on his cheeks. She was looking Inigo over once more and after seeing he was fine, she settled on his face. She wiped a stray tear that he had not realized was falling from his cheek with her thumb. She gave a teary smile that had more love in it than Inigo had been showed in the past twelve of his life. Inigo could only return the smile, “You have grown up so much, my sweet boy.”

* * *

_Dear Lucina,_

_How are you doing, sweetheart? It has been far too long since I have last seen your face. Ever since you took control of the Shepherds you have hardly ever been at the castle. It is for that reason I am sending this letter to you now. It is time for you and your men to return to the castle. I do not wish for you to get involved with the war efforts quite yet. Yes, I have my reasons, and no I will not tell them over a letter._

_I will however tell you one part of the reason. Your brother, Inigo, has returned to us. He has been informed of who he is and I thought it was time that you two were reunited. After you meet with your brother I will give you your orders. I await your arrival._

_Love,_

_Your Father_

Lucina turned to her retainer, “Tell everyone to pack up. We are returning to Ylisse. They have until the moon rises to finish packing.”

_I’m coming home, brother._


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it has been a while. Luckily I survived finals. Last week I would have updated if work had not been so draining. Last week before Christmas Break at a Pre-K is not for the weak. I felt guilty for not writing in so long but I was so tired. I am surprised I actually finished this chapter before the end of the week. :)

“Mel!” Corrin yelled as the duo approached the street corner that the merchants had set up their shop. They had set up in a tiny corner in the slums, or the ‘lower district’ as the nobles and other merchants had taken to calling it. Azura had planned on talking civilly with the family, but it would seem that Corrin had different plans. Mel flinched outwardly at the loud voice and swiftly turned to Corrin. She opened her mouth to say something, probably to tell Corrin to quiet it down but was cut short by Corrin, “What do you know about our friend?”

“Your friend?” Linda asked from where she was setting up a few new tomes to replace the ones that had apparently been bought. She paused for a second before looking up at them as she seemed to realize who exactly they were talking about, “Oh! You mean the boy who had the Brand of the Exalt.”

_The Brand of the Exalt?_ Azura thought to herself as she racked her brain for answers. What could that possibly be? Azura could chalk her ignorance of the matter up to her being a foreigner. She knew that their king had married a dancer named ‘Olivia’ and that the two had a daughter named Lucina. Beyond that she knew very little of the royal family.

“The Brand… of the Exalt…?” Azura asked aloud as she could not remember ever hearing of such a thing once since entering the Halidom.

“Wow. How could you not know about something as simple as the brand?” Mel asked, raising a single eyebrow at Azura, “It is undeniable proof that he has the blood of the holy dragon, Naga, in him. Only members of the House of Ylisse possess the brand, and in all of history the brand has only ever manifested in the eye twice. Those two are the current prince and princess,” Mel looked through the stacks of books behind her mother before grabbing a thick and dark blue book with a coat of arms on the front of it. She flipped quickly through the pages before stopping around the middle of the book. On one of the pages was a drawing of a young man wearing a crown, underneath this were the words ‘Prince Marth of Altea’ and on the next page was the symbol that she had seen in Inigo’s eye. The pages told the story of the young prince. “Taking all of this in, I knew exactly who he was. The missing prince, Inigo. He could not possibly be anyone else. Maybe I could get Inigo to make his father reconsider…”

“Mel, you know the royal family almost exclusively buys from the Anna family and not even their beloved prince could change that,” Mark said from where he was helping his father setting out a few pieces of armor and swords, mostly bronze.

“A girl can still dream, Mark,” Mel huffed out before turning her attention back to Azura, “Which reminds me, where is our _precious_ prince anyway? He was always around the two of you and I doubt he would run off just because his eyepatch fell off.”

“The guards… they, um, found him,” Corrin said in a small voice, the fire she had from before had long since died down. He was safe and sound with his family now. This did explain why people would call guards if they looked at Inigo for too long. They realized he was their prince and probably wanted to be known as the one that found the prince. From everything she had heard about the king, she knew he loved his family so they would most likely be rewarded for returning the prince to them.

“Oh,” she visibly deflated, “he must be in the castle by now, probably be doted on by the king and queen.” Mel looked in what must have been the direction of the castle, “I would give up on getting anywhere near him then, the royal palace is one of the most well-guarded places in the Halidom. I would not doubt it if the castle is even more guarded than usual since the prince has returned."

“It does not change that we need to- “

“Corrin,” Lucius began, putting down the iron sword he had just finished examining, “What reason could you possibly have to go see him? If you are worried, then you must realize that the castle is the safest place in all of Ylisse.”

“Corrin has no reason to but I do,” Azura said, stepping in front of her dearest friend, “I have to speak to the king… on behalf of my home country.”

“Your home country?” Mel asked. She did not sound surprised that Azura was a foreigner, more so curious on what country she was from.

“I am the third princess of Hoshido, the same one that went missing all those years ago. I… I have to end this war. Inigo had traveled with me to help me achieve my goal,” Azura said, standing tall in hope that they would help her.”

“You cannot possibly go see the prince,” Linda said with a worried expression, “if you enter the palace then they will- “

“Mother, there is a way she can speak to the king,” Mel said with a smile, “and there is even a chance that she will be able to speak to the prince as well…”

* * *

 

The following day Inigo had been brought to a room in the royal wing that his father had failed to show him. The inside was strangely bare (aside from a few tables, one even had a vase with some white and yellow flowers in it) compared to the other rooms he had seen. There was a fairly large window in the room that allowed a gentle light into the room. It was smaller than the other rooms he had been and yet it was still larger than any room he had stayed in while in Asphodel. Standing next to the window was a man with styled black hair with two young girls, one with blonde hair and the other with brown.

“Ah, Prince Inigo, you are here,” the man said, walking to the young prince. Sir Frederick and two of the servants had accompanied him there. According to his father they were simply getting measurements, which was something they needed for the fitting process.

The man gave a swift bow before continuing to speak, “My name is Sebastian and,” he motioned to the two girls beside him, “these two are my assistants, Emily and Sophie.”

The two girls gave Inigo a quick curtsy. Emily was the one with brown hair and was slightly taller than Sophie, whereas Sophie was more petite and looked a few years younger. The servants had already begun to take his shirt off, “What are you- “

“You need to remove most of your clothing for them to get your measurements properly,” Frederick said from behind him, where he was watching the servants with a hard gaze. Inigo did briefly wonder why he was still there as his father had only ordered him to take Inigo there. Inigo had not remembered his father giving him any other order when he saw him. Luckily the servants finished quickly, leaving him in his small clothes.

Emily walked over to him and began to measure different parts of his body. If he was not so uncomfortable with the present situation, he probably would have said something to her. She was a very beautiful girl, probably even more so if she would smile, and he would not mind having a tea date with her in the gardens. He had heard that girls loved tea. The only time she would speak was when she was yelling out the measurements for Sebastian to write down.

Sophie was much different than Emily in that regard. She had more of a pep in her step and had a breathtaking smile on her face. Emily was handling fabrics, or at least little square pieces of fabric. She would bring the scraps of fabric over to Inigo and ask Sebastian, who she called ‘Boss’, how they looked on Inigo. If Sebastian said it looked good, which he always had a small smile from her antics, she would turn the prince how they felt and if he liked the fabric. This went on for a while and it was the more enjoyable part of the whole ordeal.

“Hm,” the man said suddenly, looking over all the notes he had jotted down before looking at the two girls, “I think that is enough for the day.”

After hearing his words, the two girls stepped away from Inigo and turned towards their boss. They both had confused looks on their faces, which was the most emotion he had seen from Emily. Inigo however was feeling quite relieved that they were done. He was even more relieved when he saw his servants grabbing his clothes, which were placed on a neat pile on one of the tables, to put them back on him. He had learned the previous day not to fight with them on that night as they could be quite fearsome.

“Boss, are you sure we have enough information to begin gathering all the materials? We do have a lot we need to catch up on,” Sophie asked, stepping close to Sebastian to look over the carefully written notes.

“Hm? Oh, yes. We will be returning tomorrow to properly tailor the clothes,” the man said, before turning to the prince with a bow while the two girls swiftly caught on and curtsied to him, “it was a pleasure to meet you, milord.”

“Oh, um, you do not need to call me that. You can call me ‘Inigo’,” Inigo said, still not used to the new title at all.

“I must apologize but it would be an insult to the crown to call you by anything but your proper title. I must insist on continuing to call you by your title, milord,” the man said, lifting his head to look at Inigo with a determined look.

“I,” Inigo began to argue but one look from his father’s retainer told him that it would be a losing battle. Inigo looked at the man, and his two helpers, and instead said, “It was a pleasure to meet the three of you as well.”

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Sir Frederick said as he moved from behind Inigo to stand beside the prince, “You are dismissed.”

* * *

When Lucina first found out about her brother’s return, she felt all of her emotions from the past twelve years rushing back to her. The most prominent of them all was fear. Not fear like she felt in a battle but fear that her precious little brother hated her. That he despised her for not saving him that night. It was a childish, irrational fear but it was a fear all the same. She wanted to see him, to see that he was safe with her own two eyes. To see if he was unharmed because if even a hair was out of place on him she would find whoever it was that stole him in the first place.

When her men and her finally arrived in Castle Ylisstol, she could only feel anxious about getting to the throne room and then hopefully seeing her brother. She dismissed her men to the barracks with the promise she would see them at dinner that. Cynthia offered to come with her but Lucina had to refuse. After all, this was her home, she had not been gone for so long that she would forgot her way around the castle.

As much as she wanted run straight to the throne room, just in case her brother was there, she knew better. She could just imagine the look on Brady’s mother face if she was seen running through the halls. She shuddered at the scolding she would get. She walked to the throne room, every second feeling like an eternity.

When she finally arrived, she saw two figures standing in the room. One she recognized instantly as her father, who she had always been closer to. He had always been a doting, but strict father. In training she always tried to mimic her father in every way. Beside the father she admired so much was someone she did not recognize for a good minute.

Once she realized who it was standing next to her father, talking to him very animatedly, she could not help but think how obvious it was in everything about him. The way he stood, relaxed and yet still managing to stand tall despite his short stature (Lucina was probably taller than him, even if it was just by a hair). He still possessed the same pout on his face as he had when they were children, though it did make her wonder what her father had said prior to her entering. It was especially obvious in his appearance. Though she did find herself questioning why his hair was blue like her own and Father’s. His had always been a soft shade of pink that he had gotten from their mother.

She found herself walking slowly toward him then. She was probably halfway across the large room when Inigo looked towards her with a questioning look. When she reached him, she hesitated for a brief moment before pulling him into a hug which was all too uncharacteristic for her. She had not been one for hugs or affection, even as a child she had not particularly cared for such things, making the exception for her family. At that moment she had needed to know she was not seeing things, that he was truly there. Her baby brother was alive. “You are back. Thank Naga, you are back.”

She pulled back from him for a moment as she looked him over, starting with his face that was shockingly like their father’s yet it still held the softness of their mother’s. His hair was more like his mother’s when it came to thickness which was something the pair of siblings had in common. He still had the same vivid blue eyes with the brand shining proudly in his right one, just as hers was in her left one. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no scarring or scratches on him. As she studied the rest of him she noticed only a few scratches but they were fairly recent so she imagined he obtained those in either the castle or in the city. She whispered once more, mostly to herself, “You are back.”

“Lucina,” she heard her father say beside her as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. She released her brother at that moment, satisfied for the present moment, and turned to their father. He gave her a gentle smile, “I am glad to see you have returned.”

“Yes, I could not wait another day to return,” she turned back to face Inigo, “I missed you, little brother.”

He seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in and mouthed those words slowly as if taking them in. He looked at her with the same look he gave her again before turning back to their father, “…I have a sister?”

“Yes, did you forget that as well?” their father asked, looking down at his son with a sad look. Had it been truly so long that he forgot all about them? Or had he just chosen to forget about Lucina?

“No… I kind of remember a blue haired girl, but it is fuzzy. I just did not realize she was my sister,” Inigo said and looked back at Lucina and gave her a bright smile that reminded her of how they were as children. She could not help but give him a small back. “I must apologize for not realizing who you were.”

“Ah, Lucina, I believe you were here to receive orders, but first do you mind if Inigo meets your men?” their father said and she was reminded of that part of the letter. Inigo needed a retainer to ensure he was protected and it was best if it was someone who remembered him from before he was taken from them.

“Of course not, Father. I dismissed them to the barracks when we arrived,” Lucina said, standing tall as she addressed her father.

* * *

 

The greedy lord had not planned on returning to the Halidom, let alone to the capital itself, again in his lifetime. He had especially not planned on returning after staging the kidnapping of the young prince. Now he was forced to return in order to have that specific piece of merchandise returned to him before he could open his mouth about anything that had happened to him while in Lord Merek’s care. After all, the lord had no desire for an early grave brought by an overprotective father’s hand.

Luckily for the greedy lord, in the early years of Asphodel he had managed to obtain many powerful allies. It was with even greater luck that some of these powerful allies resided in the holy city and it was those allies that granted him access that day. He had promised them a free ‘dance’ with whichever dancer they chose if they only granted him entry. Not once did they ask why he needed entry on such short access, they just made sure he could get in with no questions asked.

Now the lord was walking through the ‘lower section’ of the town where he knew all the ruffians and dastards hung around. He was not there for a leisurely walk. No, he had to meet with a certain man that resided in that very section of the town. The very one that had gotten him the thief to steal the wretched boy in the first place.

Lord Merek had much in common with the man, who just so happened was the leader of a guild of thieves. One of those things is that he understood how to survive in the underground. He understood that to survive a man had to look after himself and only himself. If someone was sloppy and just so happened to get caught, he was not going to bail them out of it. That was what he had done with thief that had stolen the boy in the first place, he cut his losses and moved on. That was what Lord Merek would do if any of his hired help caused him trouble, he would… cut his losses in a manner of speaking.

It did not take him long to find the ‘abandoned’ house that the guild of thieves stayed in. The place where he would find Lupin. As he entered he could smell the familiar, putrid smell. It was the smell of alcohol mixed with a few other things he would rather not think about. A smell he had hoped he would never have to smell. He could not help but wrinkle his nose up in disgust.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my old friend, Merek!” the scar-faced assassin said with a thunderous laugh. Lupin was sitting across the room in some beaten down, barely staying together, chair. “I would ask if you wanted somethin’ to drink but I doubt you’re ‘ere just to visit an old friend.”

“You would be correct, Lupin. I have lost a certain piece of merchandise and it would be troublesome for both of us if it is not reclaimed quickly,” Lord Merek said, watching the other thieves carefully as he pulled out a rather full pouch of gold he had tied to his belt.

“How… intact does the ‘merchandise’ need to be after bein’… reclaimed?” Lupin asked. It was an important question as they both knew where the boy was and it would not take a genius to figure out which piece of ‘merchandise’ it was.

“I would prefer it to be intact but if it is uncooperative, it may be brought back damaged,” Lord Merek said with a dark look. In other words, he wanted to be the one to punish the boy but if he refused to return willingly then he did not care if they killed him. Lupin eyed the ouch before giving him a crooked smile that would have unnerved a lesser man than the lord.

“You have a deal.”


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY! I feel like I haven't updated in forever! Probably since last year! (Bad Liz!) So I worked hard on this one. But I was writing a good amount of characters I am not used to writing and can only hope their few lines were not TOO OOC. If they are please tell me how to make them better.
> 
> Also I started college again *unenthusiastic cheering is heard in the background* but luckily I love all of my classes and the classes are kind of welcoming. Like I have no fear of talking out in them (even my English one!).

“I must have misheard you,” Azura said, not believing the words she had just heard Mel voice so clearly. She was a master at keeping her face and voice calm even though she herself was not. Maybe she had misheard her, after all who would say such a terrible idea. Azura simply asked, “What is it you are going to do?”

Asking again could not hurt. After all the idea was well preposterous. The idea of sneaking in was not the brightest but from what she thought she heard it seemed to be the better option. After all who could possibly suggest that-

“I thought I made it quite clear,” she said, narrowing her eyes as she leaned against the wall of the house they were staying at, “we are going to turn you in to the town guard. You should be brought in before the king. There is a slight chance that our precious prince will be there as well, or possibly even brought in to observe. Of course you will be checked for weapons prior to being brought to meet the king. They will have you restrained, and it would be best not to fight this as they may take that as a threat to the royal family,” the worst part about that plan was Mel’s twisted smile. Azura thought this was a horrid plan. There were so many things that could go wrong. As Azura thought that she noticed Mel starting to kick at the dust lining the rotted wooden flooring as she muttered in a slightly higher pitch than her normal tone, “and if it gives my family some power then it is a win-win situation.”

Ah. That was it. All Mel wanted was power in this. It made sense… in a way. No one liked selling in the slums but one would need a good word or a heavy pouch in order to make it to the market streets. Well if it was anything like Hoshido or Nohr’s capitol city. Even if they do not need a terrible amount to buy their stand, the tax to keep it would hurt them a good amount. If they got on the king’s good side, then it would mean they had a shot of getting to the noble’s district.

“This is a terrible idea!” Corrin yelled rather bluntly as she jumped off the wooden crate so hard Azura almost thought the floor beneath them would give out. “What if they- what if they execute Azura!”

That was Azura’s main worry with this. What if they decided to kill Azura? What if the rule was to kill all Hoshidans found in Ylisse?

“Details. Details,” Mel said with a nonchalant wave of her hand, almost as if she was dismissing the entire thought, “They will not execute someone as soon as they get them. Any enemies to our proud country must be brought before both the kind and the council so they can ensure you are truly a threat.”

“What if they decide she is a threat?” Corrin asked, concern for her dear friend was clear on the dragon princess’s face.

“That will not happen, her prince in shining armor will save her,” Mel said with a mocking smile.

* * *

Lucina was… hurt when she discovered her brother barely remembered her. True it had been many years since he had last seen her and she did not believe it was out of malice. Honestly, Lucina did not believe he had it in him to hate anyone. Even when she ‘met’ him he was more shocked than angry that some ‘random’ girl was hugging him. It still stung after she had thought it through, she was however happy that he was back home and safe.

She was guiding her younger brother through the barracks towards where her men should be resting. All the guards were gawking at him, they were used to Lucina as she had trained with many them when she was younger. No, Inigo was different. That was why Lucina found herself glaring at the entirety of the barracks save for Inigo.

When she made her way past the squires she could not help but notice that they were much more brave (?) about coming up to her brother. Well, the ones who had gotten into the royal army because of their family that is. Not even half of that group would make it through Sir Frederick’s training, even less would find themselves guarding the crown prince. The ones who joined because of their high blood would be the first to leave. Lucina had very little respect for those kinds and found herself sending those squires an even worse glare.

Luckily it was not long after that that she found her men. A small group that consisted of five, plus her retainer. Her father wanted Inigo to pick his retainer from her men and she thought that it was great idea. Everyone that served under her had known Inigo at some point, especially Owain and Cynthia.

In the back of the room, she could see her blonde cousin and silver haired retainer talking, well at least she assumed. They were both talking rather animatedly, with her cousin making his signature pose. He covered half of his face with his hand in what was supposed to be a heroic pose. Her retainer matched the poses with equal amounts of excitement. Inigo looked completely confused at the duo’s antics.

“Will the two of you shut it!” she heard Brady yell from where he was sitting on the cot next to the duo. Brady had hair with a purple tint to it. Sitting beside him was a red-headed Laurent who was reading what appeared to be a list. If Lucina had to guess he was already preparing their supplies for their next mission.

Across from them was a brown haired Kjelle who was polishing her weapons and armor. She was wearing a loose fitted clothing as she had removed her armor so she could clean and polish it. She was currently polishing a javelin that would probably need to be replaced soon.

Leaned up against the wall was her brother’s closest friend when they were children, Gerome. He had his dark brown hair slicked back and the black mask covering the upper half of his face.

Lucina came up to a group of people, he counted about five people in total. Near the back were a brown haired boy that was about Inigo’s age talking to a white haired girl. They were both talking rather animatedly, with the blonde making very over exaggerated poses that the younger girl seemed to match perfectly. They looked more like street performers than soldiers.

“Will the two of you shut it!” a scary-looking boy (man?) that was seated on a cot next to where the two were performing yelled. He had blonde hair and a scar going over his left eye. Inigo did not want to know how he got that scar.

“Brady, your mortal mind cannot fathom the legendary power of the hero of the hero of the legends, OWAIN DARK!” Owain yelled, moving his hand to his signature pose of covering one of his eyes with his hand. Inigo looked… overwhelmed which she could understand, their cousin could be quite overwhelming. Unfortunately for Inigo, Owain seemed to notice that the two had entered, “Oh ho! My exalted cousin has returned to us to bring with her a new compa- Inigo?"

* * *

Corrin could not believe Mel when she came up with that plan. She was putting Azura in danger after all! So Corrin decided to take matters in her own hand. The dragon princess had not come to Hoshido by herself all that time ago but her friend and ally had stayed by her side. She would often sneak off to give her report to him to tell Ryoma. That was one of the main reasons that Hoshido had been lax in their attacks lately.

Corrin found herself walking through the slums until she found herself in a dark, abandoned alley. “Kaze! Kaaaaaaze! Kaaaaazeee!” she yelled, knowing he would come running to her if she continued to yell his name. He hated when she put herself in danger needlessly. Something that he had reminded her multiple times when she got wounded while protecting Mel’s family.

“Princess Corrin,” she heard from behind her, making her jump and whip around to face her green haired companion. “You should know better than to yell out in a foreign country. What if someone had figured out you were from Hoshido and then-“

“Kaze! I was wondering where you were! I have something for you to do for me tomorrow. Do not tell my brother unless worse comes to worse but…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So during Mel's line I wanted to write "your prince in a shining leotard" but I am pretty sure he does not own any. I may save that for the Modern AU I have planned. Decisions, decisions. 
> 
> This chapter did not want to get written which is also why it is the shortest yet. (Seriously, for the last few weeks, I was writing a few words a day when my normal is a few paragraphs to a page a day)

**Author's Note:**

> The obvious changes will happen in the next chapter, which will be up in the next two or three days if al goes well.


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